A connection that is not welcome. Using someone else’s Wi-Fi is very easy and can go unnoticed for a long time, if the person concerned is not careful. A passing stranger or neighbor can connect to your network in seconds and enjoy the service you pay for for free. A little bloated no?
If you notice a significant drop in your internet speed, without explanation, consider checking who is connected to your network. As Midi Libre explains, all you have to do is go to the configuration interface of your box, which in most cases has a section allowing you to see the list of devices connected to Wi-Fi. If one of them is not yours, there is no doubt, a profiteer is hiding among your neighbors. To go further, you can also consult the history of connections to your network: you will then know which phones, televisions, computers or printers have used your speed. If a device does not belong to you, there is no longer any doubt.
To prevent the problem from happening again, it is essential to protect access to your network, by securing it. For example, you can deactivate the public display of your Wi-Fi or change its name, so that the person concerned no longer knows who it belongs to. On its site, Orange also advises you to change your security key by choosing a password that is more difficult to hack.
If ever your neighbor is particularly talented, he could manage to connect again. In this case, you can enter the addresses of your different devices to only allow their connection to your Wi-Fi. This code is in the settings section of your phone or computer, you just have to write them down before activate MAC filtering in the settings of your internet box. After that, your neighbor will never be able to connect to your network again!