One of the easiest ways is to login to your router to check the list of devices connected to your Wi-Fi.To do so, you need to know the IP address of your router. It is usually printed on a sticker on your router. Alternatively, you can follow these steps on your Windows laptop:
- Press Windows key and type cmd
- Click Command Prompt and type ipconfig /all
- Press Enter
- You will find the router’s IP address next to ‘Default gateway’
Once you know the IP address of your router, follow these steps:
- Head to Google Chrome or any browser.
- Enter the IP address in the search bar.
- Next, enter your username and password
- Now scroll down and look for “Connected devices,” “Attached devices,” “DHCP Clients” or similar under Wi-Fi network
Here, you will find a list of devices that are connected to your WiFi network. If you do not recognize any device in this list, it is advisable to change your Wi-Fi password. This will forcefully remove them from your WiFi network.
You can also use the access control feature to block devices from connecting to your WiFi network. Here are steps to setup access control:
- Log in to your router
- Once logged in, select Advanced>Security>Access Control
- Check the Turn on on Access Control
Do note that the Access Control feature is not available on all routers. If your router does not have one, you can opt for the MAC Address filtering tool. MAC stands for Media Access Control. Each device has a unique MAC address. To block a particular device from accessing your WiFi, you should know its MAC address.
Locate the MAC Address filtering option in your router’s settings. Turn it on and add the MAC address of the device you want to block.