How to See Who's on Your Wi-Fi (and Kick Off Devices You Don't Know)
Worried someone is using your Wi-Fi? Here is how to see every device on your network, identify the ones you don’t recognise and lock out intruders for good.
A typical home now has 15 to 30 connected devices: phones, TVs, speakers, plugs, cameras, printers. It's no surprise that a device list full of odd names can look alarming. Most of the time every one of them is yours. Here's how to be sure.
Option 1: a network scanner app
The quickest way is an app that scans your network from your phone. Wifify's Devices tab checks every address on your Wi-Fi and recognises devices by the names they announce, so you see "Kitchen speaker · Google Nest Mini" instead of a string of numbers. It also lets you rename devices and flags anything new that joins later.
Option 2: your router's device list
Every router has a list of connected devices, usually under Connected devices, Clients or DHCP. Open your router's settings page (Wifify's "Open router settings" button goes straight there) or your router's own app.
How to identify a device you don't recognise
- Look at the name and maker. "HP OfficeJet", "Chromecast" or "Sonos" usually give it away.
- Turn things off one by one. If the device disappears when you unplug the smart TV, you've found it.
- Check your phones. Modern iPhones and Android phones use a private, randomised hardware address on each network, so the same phone can look new after an update or reset.
- Remember the gadgets. Smart plugs, bulbs, thermostats, doorbells and robot vacuums are easy to forget.
Devices people forget about
- Smart TVs, streaming sticks and games consoles
- Smart speakers and displays
- Wi-Fi light bulbs, plugs and switches
- Video doorbells, security cameras and baby monitors
- Printers (many connect to Wi-Fi by default)
- Robot vacuums, air purifiers and washing machines
- Smart watches, e-readers and old phones in drawers
- The router's own mesh points and extenders
Signs someone may be using your Wi-Fi
- A device you can't identify appears again and again, especially at night
- Your connection is slow when nobody at home is using it
- Your router's lights flash with activity while all your devices are off
None of these is proof on its own, since smart-home gadgets update themselves at odd hours. But if a device stays unexplained after you've checked everything at home, act on it.
Why blocking one device isn't enough
Routers can block a device by its hardware (MAC) address, but a determined person can change that address, and modern phones already randomise theirs. Blocking is a quick fix; changing the password is the real one.
If a device really isn't yours
- Change your Wi-Fi password. Every device gets disconnected, and only people with the new password get back on. This is the single most effective step.
- Use WPA3 or WPA2 security. Avoid "open" networks and old WEP.
- Turn off WPS. The push-button pairing feature has a history of weaknesses.
- Give guests a guest network. It keeps visitors off the network your computers and cameras use.
- Update your router. Firmware updates fix security holes.
Get told when something new joins
Checking once is good; noticing changes is better. Wifify quietly learns your household's devices over the first day, then marks anything new so you can confirm "It's ours" or follow the steps above.