How to detect unauthorized remote access to a computer. How can I find out who is connected to my WiFi router and using the network? Scanning the local network

How can I find out who is connected to my WiFi router? Every owner of a wireless network wants to know the answer to a question. This may be needed for various purposes, but most often if you want to find and punish the "criminal".

How to find out about an unauthorized connection?

There are only 3 signs that someone has connected to the wireless Internet:

  1. Sharp and frequent fall. This may mean that someone is connected to the network and is stealing traffic. Of course, there is not always an extra user. Often this may be due to the work of the provider itself. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to find out who is connected to Wi-Fi, and how to remove this “guest”.
  2. “The site is not accessible to my IP!” - this is exactly what you can hear from some PC owners whose WiFi connection has been interfered with by someone extra.
  3. When disconnecting gadgets and a PC from the router, its indicator light should not blink or stay on.

How many people use the WiFi connection?

How to see and check who is connected to my WiFi, determine the number of users? You can do this directly.

Important! To exit the router management menu, enter the address of the router in the address bar of the browser. Typically, this is 192.168.1.1.

In the window that opens, enter your account information. For most wireless network devices, this is admin / admin (password and login, respectively).

How to determine who is connected to my WiFi? router The question boils down to the actions mentioned above on any router. The number of connected gadgets will be displayed directly in the control panel under Wireless. In some models, you will have to open the corresponding tab, while in others the number of users will be visible in the right block of the window.

To view detailed information about who is connected to the router, you should go to "wireless statistics" (wi-fi statistics). What you should pay attention to? The names of computers and other devices will not be displayed here, but there are MAC addresses of all gadgets. Here you can also block a specific user. An important point: exit from a specific MAC address will not be available until the user is removed from the banned list or the router is reset to factory settings.

Router Map Viewer Software

It is most convenient to monitor the "left" users and the connection status in the settings of the router itself. The control panel of the router will allow you not only to see who is connected to my Wi-Fi, but also to block access to both the network itself and the devices in it. The disadvantage of this solution is that the router does not send notifications about the connection of new users.

Because there are programs to see who is connected to WiFi. Among the most popular are:

  1. network watcher. You just need to launch the application and press the F5 key - and the application will start searching for all available devices and their addresses on the local network. To configure the program to work in automatic mode and receive appropriate notifications, you need to set the scan interval.
  2. WiFi Guard. Its functionality is similar to the previous software, but unlike Network Watcher, it can be launched in the system tray when the OS starts.

Any of the programs is a convenient and quick way to solve the problem of how to find out who is using my Wi-Fi.

It's pretty frustrating when someone gains unauthorized access to your computer. If you think your computer has been hacked, disconnect it from the internet. Then find the vulnerabilities that the attacker used to get into the system and fix them. After that, take steps to avoid similar intrusions in the future.

Steps

Part 1

Blocking unauthorized access

    Be aware that the computer may turn on automatically to install updates. Most of the latest versions of operating systems are updated automatically; as a rule, this happens at night, when no one uses the computer. If the computer turned on without your knowledge (that is, when you are not using it), it most likely woke up from sleep mode to install updates.

    • An attacker can gain remote access to the computer, but this is unlikely. But there are some steps you can take to prevent an intrusion attempt itself.

  1. Look for obvious signs of remote access. If the cursor moves, programs run and files are deleted without your intervention, someone has gained access to the computer. In this case, turn off the computer and disconnect the Ethernet cable.

    • If you find unfamiliar programs or your Internet connection speed has dropped, this does not mean that your computer has been hacked.
    • Many programs that update automatically open pop-up windows during the update process.

  2. Disconnect your computer from the internet. Do this if you think your computer has been hacked. Disconnect your computer not only from the Internet, but also from the local network to prevent unauthorized access to other computers.

    • Turn off your wireless router and disconnect the Ethernet cable from your computer.

  3. Launch Task Manager or Activity Monitor. These utilities can be used to identify active processes.

    • On Windows, press Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + Esc.
    • On Mac OS, open the Applications - Utilities folders and click System Monitor.

  4. In the list of running programs, find programs for remote access. Also look for any unfamiliar or suspicious programs in this list. The following programs are popular remote access programs that install without the user's knowledge.

    • VNC, RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC, LogMeIn, GoToMyPC, and TeamViewer
    • Also look for unfamiliar or suspicious programs. If you do not know the purpose of a particular active process, find information about it on the Internet.

  5. Note the abnormally high CPU usage. It is displayed in the Task Manager or System Monitor. High CPU usage is normal and does not indicate a compromised computer, but if it occurs when no one is using the computer, most likely a lot of processes are running in the background, which is very suspicious. Keep in mind that high CPU usage occurs during background system updates or large file downloads (that you forgot about).

    Scan the system with an antivirus program. Be sure to install an antivirus or don't turn off Windows Defender. Open your antivirus program and run an operating system scan. A full scan will take about an hour.

    • If your computer does not have an antivirus, download it on another computer and copy it to your computer using a USB drive. Install an antivirus and scan the system.

  6. Delete the files found by the antivirus. If the antivirus detects malware, remove it or send it to "quarantine" (this depends on the antivirus); in this case, the programs found will no longer harm the computer.

    Download and install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This is a program that detects and neutralizes malware not found by antivirus. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can be downloaded for free from malwarebytes.org.

    • Since the computer is offline, download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on another computer and copy it to your computer using a USB drive.

  7. Scan your system with Anti-Malware. A full scan will take about 30 minutes. It is possible that Anti-Malware will detect a cracker that controls the computer.

    Send detected malware to "quarantine". In this case, the programs found will no longer harm your computer.

    Download and run Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit Beta. This program can be downloaded for free from malwarebytes.org/antirootkit/ . Anti-Rootkit Beta detects and removes rootkits, which are malicious programs that allow an attacker to gain a foothold in the system and hide traces of penetration. It will take some time for a full system scan.

    Monitor your computer's behavior after malware removal. Even if your antivirus and/or Anti-Malware program has found and removed malware, monitor your computer's behavior to determine if there is hidden malware.

    Change all passwords. If your computer is hacked, most likely the attacker got your passwords using a keylogger. In this case, change passwords for different accounts. Do not use the same password for multiple accounts.

    Sign out of all accounts. Do this after changing passwords. Log out of your accounts on all devices on which you use these accounts. In this case, the cracker will not be able to use the old passwords.

    Reinstall the operating system if you cannot block unauthorized access to your computer. This is the only reliable way to prevent intrusion and get rid of all malicious files. Before you reinstall your system, back up your important data, as the process of reinstalling your system will delete all information.

    • When backing up your data, scan each file, because there is a risk that old files will lead to infection of the reinstalled system.
    • Read for more information on how to reinstall your Windows or Mac OS system.

    Part 2

    Prevention of unauthorized access

    1. Set your antivirus program to update automatically. Modern antivirus detects malware before it reaches the computer. Windows comes preinstalled with Windows Defender, which is a decent antivirus that runs and updates in the background. You can also download an excellent and free antivirus such as BitDefender, Avast! or AVG. Remember that only one antivirus program can be installed on a computer.

      • Read for more information on how to turn on Windows Defender.
      • Read for more information on how to install an antivirus program (in this case, Windows Defender will turn off automatically).

    2. Set up a firewall. Unless you own a server or run a program for remote access, there is no need to keep the ports open. Most programs that need open ports use the UPnP protocol, which means that ports are opened and closed as needed. Permanently open ports are the main vulnerability of the system.

      • Read and then check if all ports are closed (unless you are the owner of the server).

    3. Be careful with email attachments. They are the most popular way for viruses and malware to spread. Open attachments to emails from people you know, and even then it's best to contact the sender and find out if they sent any attachments. If the sender's computer is infected, then malicious programs will be sent without the sender's knowledge.

      Set strong passwords. Each secure account or program must have a unique and strong password. In this case, an attacker will not be able to use the password for one account to hack another. Search the Internet for information on how to use a password manager.

    4. Do not use free wireless networks. Such networks are insecure because you cannot know if someone is monitoring your incoming and outgoing traffic. By monitoring traffic, an attacker can gain access to the browser or more important processes. To secure your system while connected to a free wireless network, use a VPN service that encrypts your traffic.

      • Read

Today, Wi-Fi is available in almost every home, office, shopping and entertainment center. Thanks to Wi-Fi networks, people easily connect to the Internet when needed. Free wireless access is, of course, convenient, but at the same time, router owners often worry and ask themselves: “How can I find out who connected to my WIFI?” This problem is quite relevant today, so it is important to understand all the nuances.

Depending on the model, the router may keep a log of work. But finding useful information there is quite problematic. The easiest way is to look at the current status and determine how many devices are connected. But this method is not entirely reliable, as it displays information in a given period of time.

What should alert the owners of the router?

Users who access the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection should be alert if they encounter situations like this:

  • Decreased data transfer rate. There can be many reasons for this phenomenon, but it is more advisable to make sure that the low speed is not caused by connected foreign devices.
  • Active flickering of the indicator. This usually happens while information is being exchanged with the Internet. If all "legal" devices are not working at the moment, and the light is still on, the user should be alert.

Table of connected equipment

Some users use the following method to help answer the question: "How can I find out who is connected to my WIFI?" To quickly check if unscrupulous users have connected to Wi-Fi, you can use the technique table view method. To do this, enter the IP address into the browser line, and then launch the command interpreter. You can do this like this: go to the "Start" menu, then select "Search", type "cmd" and enter "Enter". Then you need to run the "ipconfig" command. The router address will be displayed next to the Default Gateway label.

After entering the login and password in the window that opens, you can see a list of devices that connect to the router. If the IP and MAC addresses are unfamiliar, these users should be blocked. If necessary, you can limit their priority to a certain time.

How to find out who is connected to Wi-Fi using

This method is quite simple. When the owner of the router is overwhelmed with thoughts on how to check if someone has connected to my WIFI, you need to go to the settings and select the appropriate tab. All information will be displayed there.

To enter the settings panel, you need to enter the numbers that are indicated on the back of the router in the address bar of the browser. They may differ depending on the device model, but most often it is 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. Also, numbers, login and password can be found in the technical documentation.

When all the data is entered, you must press OK and go to First you need to enter the "Basic Settings" section, then the "Wireless Mode" menu and select the "Wireless Statistics" item there. On the right side of the window that opens, you can see the number of stations connected to Wi-Fi. In these statistics, you can see the MAC address of devices, the total number of packets and the type of encryption.

Experienced router owners know that you can solve the problem: “Check if someone has connected to my wifi” using a cable. To do this, there is a tab "DHCP", there you need to find the item "List of DHCP clients". If there are connected devices, not only their MAC address will be displayed, but also their IP address.

How to block someone else's MAC address?

If, in search of an answer to the question: "Who connected to my WIFI?" the owner has detected other people's connections, the MAC address must be blocked. It is not difficult to do this, it is enough to filter out foreign devices. To do this, go to the "MAC Address Filtering" section and select the "Enable" item. Next, you should set the button on the first parameter. After that, you can add someone else's address and save all changes. This measure will block access to the Internet, and third-party devices will no longer be able to use Wi-Fi.

You need to choose a password with great responsibility so that it is difficult to guess it. A simple and predictable cipher is unlikely to become an obstacle for connecting unscrupulous third-party users.

It is desirable to combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation marks in the password. It is advisable to make it as long as possible.

Scanning the local network

There is another way, It is to scan the local network. You must enter the IP address of the laptop or computer and select the closest range. After checking, two addresses should be displayed: the connected device and the modem. If there are more of them, this indicates that other people's devices are connected to Wi-Fi.

Some users set up WEP encryption, but this method is unreliable. There are programs that allow you to crack the protection and connect to the Internet. WPA is a stronger barrier, but not all older router models support this protocol.

Wireless Network Watcher

It will be useful for users to know that there is a program to check. Who is connected to my WIFI can be determined using the Wireless Network Watcher. It is better to download the utility from the official website in order to avoid various fakes.

You need to run the program from the device that will be connected to the router. Otherwise, there will be no benefit from Wireless Network Watcher. After scanning, you can see not only the number of connected devices, but also their MAC addresses, and even the name of the manufacturer.

But it will not work to disable unscrupulous users through the program. To do this, go to the router settings and block addresses. Professionals use a special utility that allows you to determine the location of the connected device with an accuracy of several meters.

There are quite a few ways to find out who connected to my WIFI, and each user can choose the one that suits him.

We quickly determine the number of devices connected to the WiFi network (in two different ways), set up rules for limited and secure access to the wireless network, and also understand programs that facilitate the implementation of the above actions.


Content:

Signs of unauthorized connections

First sign Quite often, you can encounter sharp drops in connection throughput. Most often, the problem lies in the work of providers of various levels between you and a remote server, but it is quite possible that your channel's traffic is consumed by unauthorized persons. Second sign, which makes you think about controlling access to your Wi-Fi channel - these are suddenly arising access restrictions for your ip-address for any sites. In addition, pay attention to the behavior of the wireless connection indicator on the router case - when all devices are disconnected from the network, it should not blink, much less stay on almost constantly.

How to find out how many devices are connected to my wifi?

How to know who is connected to my wifi? The easiest way to do this is in the control panel of your router.

To enter it, type in the address bar of your web browser the ip-address of your router on the local network (if no one has changed it, it will correspond to the one specified in the instructions and on the router body; usually it is ) and enter the credentials in the request window (according to the default on many routers is admin/admin). Further actions depend on the manufacturer of your router, but there are no fundamental differences, so let's consider the actions using the example of the shell of Asus routers.


In the control panel of your router - you will see the number of all devices connected to the router in the "Clients" section. Clicking on it opens a detailed list of devices. For example, in the screenshot below we see two connected devices: a laptop and a phone.

For detailed information, you can refer to the "System Log-Wireless" menu, it does not display the network names of devices, but only the MAC addresses of their network interfaces. Since they (MAC addresses) were also indicated in the list of clients (which we looked at earlier), it will not be difficult to figure out who is who. In our example, we see that the phone has been connected to the network for a long time, while the laptop has just been connected.

If for some reason you do not have access to the router, you can get by with third-party programs. The simplest option is a program posted by the developer for free access. After pressing the F5 button (or selecting the corresponding item in the menu), the program will scan the entire range of addresses on the local network and display a list of detected devices.


How to see who is connected to a wifi router

More precisely, this question should have been formulated not “how to see who is connected to my wifi”, but “how to see which devices are not mine”. With phones and tablets, everything is simple: temporarily disable the wireless radio on them, and they will disappear from the list of connected devices. You can find out the network name and MAC address of the computer by pressing the Win + R keys on the keyboard and in the window that appears, typing the cmd command to open the command console, in which you need to enter the following: ipconfig / all

In our example, the Notebook device found earlier turned out to be our own laptop. Simply put, all devices found in the example earlier belong to us, and there are no extraneous connections.

How to disconnect unknown users from your wifi

Through the control panel of the router, you can disable wireless data transmission for any of the devices on the network. Since they are identified by unique MAC addresses, in fact, the serial numbers of their network interfaces, turning on the “Reject” filter for the device will mean that it cannot work on your Wi-Fi network, no matter how its owner tries to connect.

How to secure your Wi-Fi? We prohibit connection to wi-fi unknown devices.

From the previous example, you can also understand how to protect yourself from connecting unknown devices: turn on the MAC address filter "Accept" and add to the list all gadgets and computers that will be allowed to access the network. Also, don't forget about security settings: use password protection of the network of sufficient length with the WPA2 authentication method (unlike the outdated WEP, which is quite easily broken by a wifi sniffer, this will make an intruder spend quite a lot of time to break into your network).

Programs to control everyone who is connected to wi-fi

As you have already seen, it is most convenient to monitor the status of your network through the control panel of the router - this way you can quickly identify an intruder and close his access to the network. However, the router cannot alert the host when new devices appear on the network. For this purpose, you can use third-party programs, for example, the one already described above: set the frequency of network scanning in its settings and the appropriate type of notification about a new device, and you can always find out about new connections in your wireless network.

Another program has similar functionality - . But, unlike the previous program, it can automatically start in the system tray along with Windows.



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