A user asked: “I’ve noticed a noticeable decrease in my home network speed lately, with frequent lags, but I haven’t added any more devices to my network. I suspect freeloaders are squeezing my speed. Where can I check which devices are connected to my WiFi?”
Detailed Instructions:
Check via the router’s management interface
First, look for the label on the router itself or on either side. Write down the IP address printed on the label. Then, connect to the router’s WiFi using your phone or computer. Open a browser and enter the IP address, login username, and password to access the router’s backend management interface.
Find the “Device Management” or “Connected Devices” option in the management interface. Click it to see all devices connected to your Wi-Fi network. You’ll clearly see the device name, model, IP address, and MAC address for easy troubleshooting.
Checking via your phone’s “Settings”
For example, on Android, first open your phone’s “Settings” and find the “WLAN” option. Press and hold the Wi-Fi name of the device you want to check for connections. In the pop-up window, select “View Network Details.” Some phones can directly display the “Number of Connected Devices.”
If it’s not displayed directly, you can first note the WiFi “Gateway Address” and enter it into a browser. After logging in, you can also check the current WiFi connected devices.
What to do after the query
After logging into the router management interface, check the “Connected Devices” option by comparing the device name, model, or MAC address to exclude your own device.If you find an unfamiliar connected device, check the right side of the device to see if there is an option to directly select “Blacklist” or “Disable”.
If you cannot operate directly, you need to find the option about “Security Settings” or “More Features” in the management interface, open “WiFi Blacklist”/”MAC Address Filtering”, check the unfamiliar devices or enter the MAC address of the device, save it, and completely keep those who are using the network freeloading out.