Nowadays, many devices use your home network and therefore you can easily lose the overview. Are all devices connected to the network yours or are there strangers who secretly use your network? 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 knows exactly which devices are registered on the network on the basis of IP addresses. Surf to the IP address of the router, in many cases that is //192.168.1.1. Then log in to the administration panel with a username and password.
If you don't know the details, look in the manual of the device. You should request a list of the IP addresses of connected devices somewhere in the menu. For example, with Cisco routers, you can navigate to Setup / Lan Setup / Connected Devices Summary. The device name is usually listed 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 to secure the WiFi network.
02 SoftPerfect Wi-Fi Guard
Earlier we mentioned the program Wireless Network Watcher, with which you can see the IP address, MAC address, manufacturer and device name of every device. This time we call SoftPerfect Wifi Guard, because this program quickly detects whether foreign devices are registered in the network.
With SoftPerfect Wifi Guard you can continuously monitor whether 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 will automatically appear. 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 useful 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 for This computer or device is known to me and confirm with OK.
