How to see who is on my Wi-Fi

To see who is on your Wi-Fi, open your router's app or its admin page and look for the list called "Connected devices", "Clients" or "Attached devices". It shows every phone, laptop, TV and smart gadget on the network, usually with a name, an IP address and a MAC address. If you find a device you can't account for, block it, then change your Wi-Fi password so it can't simply rejoin.

Step 1: open the device list

There are two ways in, and both show the same list.

The router or mesh app. If you set up your router with a phone app, that's the easiest route. Most mainstream brands have one, as do many ISPs for the router they supply. Look for a tab called Devices, Clients or Network.

The admin page in a browser. Every router has a web page you can reach from a device on the network:

1. Find the router's address. It's the "Default Gateway" when you run ipconfig on Windows, or the "Router" or "Gateway" entry in your Wi-Fi network's details on a Mac, iPhone or Android phone. It's often 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1.
2. Type that address into a browser's address bar.
3. Sign in with the router's admin password. It's often printed on a sticker on the router if nobody has changed it.
4. Look for Connected Devices, Client List, Attached Devices or DHCP Clients. Some routers put it under Advanced or LAN.

The addresses in this list are private IP addresses that only exist inside your home. The address on What is my IP is your public IP, and every device in the house shares it. If the difference is new to you, the IP address guide explains it.

Step 2: work out what each device is

A long list is normal. Count everything that uses Wi-Fi: phones, tablets, laptops, TVs, streaming sticks, consoles, smart speakers, cameras, doorbells, plugs, bulbs, printers, robot vacuums and watches. Twenty or thirty devices in a busy home isn't unusual.

To match unknown entries:

• Read the name. Many devices report something like "Living-Room-TV" or the owner's phone name. Others show only a model code or nothing.
• Check the manufacturer. The first half of a MAC address identifies the company that made the network chip. Many router apps show the maker for you. A chip maker's name might belong to a TV or a smart plug.
• Check your own devices' addresses. On an iPhone, tap the (i) next to your Wi-Fi network to see its Wi-Fi address. On Android, it's in the network's details. On a computer, it's in the network adapter's details. Tick off each one.
• Watch the list while you switch things off. Turn off or unplug devices one at a time and see which entry drops off.

Your own phone may look unfamiliar. Current iPhones and Android phones use a private, randomized MAC address for each Wi-Fi network by default. A phone can turn up with a new address after a reset or a settings change, and the list may show an old entry for it as well. Before you assume an intruder, check whether the "unknown" address matches one of your own phones.

Step 3: kick an unknown device off

If something is still unexplained once you've checked everything in the house:

1. Block or pause it in the router app or admin page. This removes it right away.
2. Change the Wi-Fi password. Blocking works by MAC address, and a device can change its MAC address. A new password is what actually locks it out. Every legitimate device then needs the new password, so it's worth doing at a convenient time.
3. Watch the list for a few days to confirm it doesn't come back.

Avoid relying on MAC address filtering (an "allow list") as your main defense. It's tedious to maintain, and it breaks easily with phones that randomize their addresses. Apple's recommended router settings also advise against it.

Step 4: lock the network down

These settings close the usual ways people get onto someone else's Wi-Fi:

• Use WPA3 Personal, or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode if you have older devices. Apple's guidance recommends exactly this. Never leave the network open or on old WEP or WPA.
• Use a long Wi-Fi password that isn't your address, phone number or a pet's name. A short phrase of several random words works well.
• Turn off WPS. The push-button or PIN pairing feature has a history of security weaknesses, and you rarely need it.
• Change the router's admin password from the default printed on the sticker, which anyone who has visited your home could have seen.
• Turn on automatic firmware updates so security fixes install without you remembering.
• Don't bother hiding the network name. Apple notes that a hidden network isn't concealed from detection or protected from unauthorized access. The password and security mode do that job.
• Give visitors a guest network. They get internet but can't see your computers, cameras or storage, and you can change that password whenever you like without touching your own devices.

Is an extra device actually slowing you down?

Probably less than you'd think. One neighbor checking email barely registers. A device that's streaming, downloading games or uploading backups can, especially on a modest plan or a small upload.

Most router apps show data use per device, which is a better guide than the device count. If the culprit turns out to be one of your own devices, such as a console updating a game or a laptop syncing photos, the fix is scheduling, not security. Check how your connection is doing with the SpeedMetric speed test on a wired device, then again when the suspect device is off. If speeds are low even with almost nothing connected, the cause is elsewhere. Start with why your internet is slow.