I suspect someone is using my WIFI.

OtherWay1982 said:

Hi.
How do I go about kicking unknown users off my WIFI?
I suspect its been hijacked by people local in this area.

Hi.
How do I go about kicking unknown users off my WIFI?
I suspect its been hijacked by people local in this area.

And I have to admit Wifi is the thing I know even less about.
I've changed my password once in a while.

But is there some software tools I could be using to help me remove
possible users who are using my internet without my permission?

I get some strange behavior sometimes from my internet
around specific times of day and night.

What kind of strange behavior do you observe? Sometimes, malware applications installed on your computer might be the reason rather than WiFi thieves.

Check the connected devices log file on your router admin page. Every router has this feature. Check for the MAC addresses of the connected devices and verify them.

I also recommend enabling MAC address filtering. Let only the MAC addresses of your devices connect to the WiFi network.

abjth25 said:

What kind of strange behavior do you observe? Sometimes, malware applications installed on your computer might be the reason rather than WiFi thieves.

Check the connected devices log file on your router admin page. Every router has this feature. Check for the MAC addresses of the connected devices and verify them.

I also recommend enabling MAC address filtering. Let only the MAC addresses of your devices connect to the WiFi network.

I want to ask about malware too. because my internet is slowing down. And when I make the fire wall close off everything then the PC acts normal. I think Malware maybe connecting to the internet downloading stuff from or onto my pc. But how do i tell?

- - - Updated - - -

OtherWay1982 said:

I want to ask about malware too. because my internet is slowing down. And when I make the fire wall close off everything then the PC acts normal. I think Malware maybe connecting to the internet downloading stuff from or onto my pc. But how do i tell?

I dont know how to do the MAC thing, got a tutorial for new people?

Try3 said:

This will be explained in your router manual and might even be so well laid out in the router's admin interface that you can figure it out there [the clarity of router user manual & interface explanations varies enormously].

You said that you could not remember how to get into the router's admin interface.
Your router manual will tell you how.
If you cannot remember the admin password then reset the router and set up a new admin password [this will also reset your network(s) so you'll have to set them up again].

But you still seem to be supposing that:

- The intruders are physically close enough to you to be getting a strong-enough signal to connect to your network.

- - Check your router manual & interface for instructions on reducing the power of transmission to reach all over your property but no more than that level of power.

- The intruders have cracked your network password [well, I should say, "security key"].

- - Check your router manual & interface for instructions on how to see what is connected to it. Or use the NirSoft utility mentioned by RickC.

- - - When I first used that NirSoft utilty, I had to check Options, Advanced options to clear the checkbox for limiting the range of IP addresses being scanned.

- - Your router almost certainly allows long-enough network passwords for hackers to need until the next Ice Age to crack them. So change it to something long & complicated.
- - You should also make sure that you have changed the admin password from the default that was in the router when you got it. Those defaults are publicly available so should never be left in use.

Denis

mac whitelisting is about as pointless as hiding the ssid tho

OtherWay1982 said:

I want to ask about malware too. because my internet is slowing down. And when I make the fire wall close off everything then the PC acts normal. I think Malware maybe connecting to the internet downloading stuff from or onto my pc. But how do i tell?

Those symptoms do point to some kind of malware/bloatware. Do a system scan with defender to rule out malware but there may be some other software you installed that does things in the background (cryptomining etc.) that is using your internet.