Nowadays, many devices use your home network, which makes it easy to lose track. Are all devices connected to the network yours or are strangers using your network secretly? You can easily check which IP addresses are currently connected to your network.
Do you want to learn more about your home network? Then view our Network Management course.
01 Connected devices
The modem / router combination uses IP addresses to know exactly which devices are registered on the network. Surf to the router’s IP address, in many cases it is http://192.168.1.1. Then log in to the management panel with a username and password.
If you do not know the data, see the manual of the device. You should request a list of IP addresses from connected devices somewhere in the menu. For example, with Cisco routers, navigate to Setup / Lan Setup / Connected Devices Summary. The device name is usually also stated after the IP address.
Conveniently, you can see exactly whether the equipment is connected via Ethernet or WiFi. Are all unknown IP addresses and names visible? High time to take action! In the answer to question 6, we explain in detail how you protect the WiFi network.
02 SoftPerfect Wifi Guard
Earlier we called the program Wireless Network Watcher, with which you can see the IP address, MAC address, manufacturer and device name of each device. This time we call SoftPerfect Wifi Guard, because this program sees very quickly whether strange devices are registered in the network.
With SoftPerfect Wifi Guard you can continuously monitor that there are no intruders on the network. Surf to the website and download the program to your PC. You can find the download link by scrolling all the way down. Versions for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux are available. After installation, the settings window automatically appears. Select the correct network adapter and determine after how much time Wifi Guard should check the network for intruders. Confirm with OK and then click Scan now.
After a few seconds, a list of devices that are active in your network will appear. In addition to the IP address and device name, you can also see exactly who the supplier is. It is convenient that you indicate that you are the owner of known devices. To do this, right-click on the IP address and select Properties. Check the box next to My computer or this device is known to me and confirm with OK.
