3 signs someone is using your Wi-Fi - and how to kick them off

Surveillance increasingly reaches into daily life, and the idea of it entering the home is particularly troubling. If you spot an unfamiliar device on your network or notice bandwidth dropping, someone may be using your Wi‑Fi without permission. Warning signs include a sudden slowdown that can’t be explained by ISP outages or hardware issues, unfamiliar devices showing up in your router’s client list or unexpected flashing activity lights, and a router that stops working or whose password has changed—though hardware failures and service problems can produce similar symptoms.

To confirm intruders, sign in to your router’s gateway via a browser or your phone’s Wi‑Fi settings to view connected devices, or run a network scan with tools such as Fing, Nmap, or WiFi Analyzer. Additional checks include timed speed tests, connection logs from scanning tools, and simple environmental tests, like noting whether nearby streaming stops when you disconnect.

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