The best computer programs that allow knowing who is connected to the router

 

Knowing who is connected to the router and blocking unknown devices are among the most important measures taken in the framework of securing the Internet. Anyone with the simplest hacking skills can steal your internet connection, which leads to a significantly increased consumption of limited usage capacity and poor connection speed. Therefore, you must know the devices connected to the network and expel strangers from it by filtering MAC addresses or using the disconnect feature to prevent them from doing illegal things such as spying on your activity. Below we review the best methods and programs that will help you with this.

 

Know the connected devices from the router settings page

 

Before you use the programs mentioned below, you should know that you can check the devices connected to the router directly through the settings page, where you can get more accurate data since it hosts the Wi-Fi network. But while most routers do display a list of connected devices, some may not; Here, the utilities reviewed below are a suitable alternative. In any case, before you try any third-party software or tools, search your router first for this list of connected devices.

To access the router settings page, launch the Internet browser on the computer and then type in the search bar the router's IP address. This address is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, but since it is variable, you will need to follow the following steps on Windows to find out the correct router IP address you have:

 

Press the Windows key + R together to open the Run window.

Type the "CMD" command and hit the Enter key.

At the command prompt, type the command “ipconfig” and press Enter.

Scroll down to the Default Gateway line where the router's IP address appears.

 

After typing this IP in the browser, press Enter to display the router settings page. But before controlling anything, you must log in first; Where you will be asked to type the User name and Password, and in some cases, it may only ask for the password. At this point, try using "admin" as your username and password, as it is the default password for logging into any router.

On the router's settings page, find the list that shows the devices currently connected to the network. You may find it in front of you on the home page once you login under the name "Wireless Clients". But if you can't find it on the home page, look for a link or button labeled "Attached devices" "Connected devices" or "DHCP clients" — you may find this on the Wi-Fi setup page. But if you search everywhere inside the router control page and still do not see any list of devices connected to the wireless network, you can simply close this page and download any of the following programs:

 

Fing Desktop

 

Fing Desktop is one of the most popular programs that specialize in scanning and securing networks and providing the necessary solutions to overcome most of the problems that hinder the connection of devices to the Internet. Of course, you can rely on it to know the devices currently connected to the router, in addition to that it offers a wide range of unique and important features, such as getting a notification whenever a new device connects to the network, and displaying detailed information about each connected device such as name, type, model, IP and MAC address, in addition to the connection method ( wired or wireless) and the last time this device connected to the network. You can also assign new names to these devices so you easily know who each device belongs to. The program also sends a notification if it detects an interruption in the Internet service in your country, while it comes with a very simple interface that ensures that you get information quickly and easily, so I advise you to try it as one of the network protection tools, especially since it is completely free.

 

Wireless Network Watcher software

 

Wireless Network Watcher is a simple tool from the famous developer NirSoft designed to help users discover who is connected to the router. The program is distinguished by its ease of use and its simple method of displaying data. Once it is running, it will scan the router and show the devices connected to it immediately. Each device in the list reveals many details about it, such as the IP that it pulled from the router, the MAC address that you can use to block this device, the name, model, and even the time And the date of his connection to the network and to know whether he is still connected or not. All of this data appears in an easy-to-read ordered list. Among the features of the program is that it allows you to save a copy of this list as a text file on the computer, and you can activate the alert feature and issue a warning sound when a new device is connected to the network. The tool can be used without installation on the computer, and its size does not exceed 1 MB.

 

SoftPerfect Wi-Fi Guard

 

SoftPerfect Wi-Fi Guard can also be relied upon when you suspect that someone else is using your Wi-Fi network illegally. As the program scans the network or router at specified intervals and shows a list of connected devices, it also works in the background and notifies you if it finds any new or unknown connected devices and there are suspicions that they belong to an intruder. Like other programs, the program shows many details about each device, the most important of which is, of course, the MAC address. But the program is not completely free, as you can try it for free for an unlimited period, but it will display only 5 devices. If there are more, the details will appear in the form of stars (*) until you buy the paid version.

 

GlassWire

 

Certainly, GlassWire is more than just a program that allows you to know who is connected to the router, as it can be used to track the Internet consumption on your computer in a detailed and controlled manner, and it also contains a firewall that allows you to know which programs and services are connected to the Internet with the ability to block them easily. The graphical interface of the program is very distinctive and contains very impressive animations that enhance the experience of the program and make it smooth. Among the important functions of the program is knowing the devices connected to the wireless network. You can go to the “Things” section from the top bar to show a list of devices currently on the network and many details about them. The program will also send you an alert when new devices join.