Is Someone Stealing My WiFi? How to Find Out

Published March 21, 2026 · 8 min read

Your internet has been sluggish all week. Videos buffer when they never used to. Pages take forever to load. You've restarted your router twice and nothing changed. Before you call your ISP, consider this: someone might be using your WiFi without your knowledge.

WiFi theft is more common than most people think. It can be a neighbour who guessed your password, a former guest who never forgot it, or — in more concerning cases — someone who cracked weak security on your router. Here's how to find out for certain and what to do about it.

Signs That Someone Might Be on Your Network

None of these signs are conclusive on their own, but if several apply at the same time, it's worth investigating:

• Unexplained slowdowns — Your internet is noticeably slower than what you're paying for, especially in the evenings when a neighbour would be home and streaming
• Router lights blinking when nobody's online — If all your devices are off or asleep but the router's activity lights are flashing, something is actively using the connection
• You've hit your data cap — If your ISP plan has a data limit and you're suddenly exceeding it without changing your habits, extra devices could be consuming your allowance
• Devices disconnecting — Some routers have a maximum number of simultaneous connections. If unknown devices are filling those slots, your own devices may struggle to connect
• Your password is simple or widely shared — If your WiFi password is "password123" or you've given it to dozens of people over the years, the chances of unauthorized access go up significantly

How to Scan Your Network for Unknown Devices

The only way to know for sure is to see every device connected to your network. PingKit's Devices tab makes this straightforward. Open PingKit and tap the Devices tab at the bottom of the screen. It will scan your local network and list every connected device, showing:

• Device name (hostname)
• IP address
• MAC address
• Manufacturer (identified from the MAC address)

The manufacturer is particularly useful. If you see "Samsung" and you own a Samsung TV, that's accounted for. If you see "Xiaomi" and nobody in your household owns a Xiaomi device, that's a red flag.

Identifying Unknown Devices

The tricky part isn't finding devices — it's figuring out what they are. Modern homes have a surprising number of connected gadgets. Before you panic about an unknown device, work through this checklist:

• Smart home devices — Smart plugs, light bulbs, thermostats, robot vacuums, doorbell cameras. These often show up with their manufacturer name rather than a friendly device name
• Game consoles — PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch all connect to WiFi and may show up with generic names
• Streaming devices — Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV Stick
• Guest devices — A family member's phone, a friend's laptop from last weekend, a babysitter's tablet
• Your own devices you forgot about — That old iPad in the drawer, the Kindle you haven't used in months, a work laptop

Count up everything you can account for. If the number of devices on the scan matches your count, you're fine. If there are extras you genuinely can't identify, take action.

Still can't identify a device?

Try this: note the device's MAC address from PingKit, then log into your router's admin panel (usually at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1). Most routers let you see connected devices and, in some cases, show additional details. You can also search the first six characters of the MAC address online to identify the manufacturer if PingKit's lookup doesn't match anything you recognise.

What to Do If You Find an Intruder

If you've confirmed there's a device on your network that shouldn't be there, don't just disconnect it — that's a temporary fix. Take these steps to lock them out permanently:

1. Change your WiFi password immediately

This is the single most important step. Change your WiFi password to something strong — at least 16 characters with a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Every device will need to reconnect with the new password, which means the intruder won't be able to get back on.

2. Check your security protocol

Log into your router and check which security protocol it's using. You want WPA3 if your router supports it, or at minimum WPA2. If you see WEP or "Open," that's your problem — WEP can be cracked in minutes with freely available tools, and an open network has no password at all.

Use PingKit's Security Scan tool to check your network's security configuration. It evaluates your network and flags vulnerabilities including weak encryption protocols.

3. Disable WPS

WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) is a convenience feature that lets devices connect by pressing a button on the router or entering a short PIN. Unfortunately, the PIN method is notoriously easy to brute-force. Unless you actively use WPS, turn it off in your router settings.

4. Update your router's firmware

Router manufacturers regularly release firmware updates that patch security vulnerabilities. Log into your router's admin panel and check for updates. If your router is more than 5 years old and no longer receives updates, seriously consider replacing it — unpatched routers are a significant security risk.

5. Set up a guest network

If you regularly have visitors who need WiFi access, create a separate guest network with its own password. This keeps your main network private and means you can change the guest password as often as you like without disrupting your own devices.

Preventing Future Unauthorized Access

Once you've secured your network, adopt these habits to keep it that way:

• Change your WiFi password every 6-12 months — Yes, it's annoying to reconnect everything, but it revokes access from anyone who shouldn't have it
• Don't share your main network password — Use a guest network for visitors instead
• Scan your network regularly — A quick scan with PingKit every few weeks takes seconds and gives you peace of mind
• Change default router credentials — If your router's admin login is still "admin/admin" or "admin/password," change it. Anyone on your network can access your router settings with those defaults
• Hide your SSID — You can stop your router from broadcasting its network name. Your devices can still connect (they already know the name), but it won't appear in the list of available networks for others

24/7 Monitoring with PingKit Guardian

Scanning manually is effective, but what about the other 23 hours of the day? PingKit Guardian includes a macOS menu bar Agent (coming soon) that monitors your network continuously. It can detect new devices the moment they join your network and alert you immediately — so if someone connects at 3am while you're asleep, you'll know about it.

The Agent also provides ongoing security scoring, tracking your network's health and flagging any changes that could indicate a problem. It's peace of mind that goes beyond occasional manual checks.

WiFi theft isn't just annoying — it slows your connection, eats your data allowance, and potentially exposes your network to someone with bad intentions. The good news is that detecting it takes about 30 seconds with the right tool, and securing your network against it takes about 10 minutes.