Everyone knows that their computer can be hacked, but not so many are aware that their wireless router can be infiltrated too. When this happens, other users can start using your internet without you knowing. This is a crime, and it could lead to a compromised network, so make sure you know the warning signs.

Dramatic Reduction in Speed

A reduction in your browsing speed can be caused by many things, including heavy traffic or electronic interference, but it’s also a sign that someone might be stealing your Wi-Fi.

If this is the case, the slow-down is likely to occur very quickly, and the effects are likely to be significant. Check with your provider to see if anything else is to blame before jumping to conclusions.

Odd Activity Light Activity

If you’ve ever looked at your router while you’ve been working away online, you’ll probably have noticed a little light that turns rapidly on and off at intervals. This is the router’s activity light, and it should only be doing that when someone is accessing the internet through it.

If everything that is connected to your network has been turned off for the day and the activity light is still going, there might just be someone piggy-backing your Wi-Fi. Just make sure that you account for everything that could be connected, including smartphones.

Unknown Users

If you’re now convinced that someone might have hacked your router, you can check out directly. Just log in to the router by going onto your browser and typing in its IP address. This will usually be either http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1, but you should also be able to find it on the back of the router itself.

You’ll need to log in with the necessary username and password. Once you do, you should find a section labelled ‘Device List’, or similar. Clicking on it will show all the devices that are connected. If you can’t account for one or more, consider that a definite red flag.

Even if performance isn’t affected, someone hacking into your router is something that you need to be concerned about. If you have reason to believe that this is happening, make sure you contact a reputable it support company to discuss your security.