Nowadays, almost everything in your house depends on your Wi-Fi. From phones and computers to smart TVs and security cameras, even possibly your fridge. It’s like an invisible thread that keeps you connected all through the house.
But what happens if someone infiltrates that thread without your knowledge or permission? It’s not just something that happens in spy movies anymore. Hacking into home Wi-Fi is very much a real thing and it goes beyond just getting free Internet.
Your private information can become accessible, your data stolen and much slower connections. It could even lead to full-on cyber attacks.
The reality is, most of us set up our routers and don’t think about it again. We believe that our password is enough and think our networks are safe. But hacking can happen quietly unless you know the signs to look out for.
Why Would Your Wi-Fi Be Hacked Into?
As an ordinary person, you may be wondering why anyone would even want to go through the hassle of hacking into your resident’s Wi-Fi. But there are a couple of reasons as to why this happens as often as it does.
Free Internet: Who doesn’t love getting something without needing to pay for it? Some people may genuinely just want to piggyback off your connection so they don’t need to pay for their own.
Disguise illegal activity: If someone is doing something dodgy online, they can use your network to hide their own identities.
Data theft: By accessing your network, hackers can find your bank information, passwords and any other personal data you may have.
Control smart home devices: Once hackers have access to the network, they can control any smart devices that you may have like TVs or security systems.
How To Spot If Someone Is Hacking Your Home Wi-Fi
Whether you’re just curious or already suspicious, here are the signs to look out for if someone tries to, or has, hacked into your home Wi-Fi.
Your Internet Is Slower Than Normal
This is usually the first red flag to watch out for. If your Internet starts to slow down or buffers when it didn’t before, this could mean someone is using up your bandwidth.
But at the same time, this could also be due to your provider having issues or you have too many of your own devices connected.
The Wi-Fi Password Stops Working
If you are unable to connect to your Wi-Fi and your password is not working, this is a big sign that something is wrong. This means a hacker may have gotten into your router’s settings and changed the password, locking you out of your own network.
To reset the router, you can hold the reset button for about 15 seconds and this will clear all the settings, letting you start again from scratch.
You Don’t Recognise The Devices On Your Network
Your router will have a list of all the devices connected to it and if you don’t recognise them, they could belong to someone else.
Some devices will even have an “unknown” name so turn off each of your devices one by one to match them to the list. If some are still on there, then you know you have been hacked.
Your Devices Start To Act Strangely
Your connected devices can start to show strange behaviour if your Wi-Fi has been hacked.
If your smart speaker starts responding to things that you didn’t say or your security cameras start to move around or disconnect, an outside party could be telling them what to do.
Your Data Usage Increases
When your monthly Internet bill starts to have a much higher data usage, this is an indication that someone could be using your Wi-Fi to stream online or download content.
You can ask your service provider to give you a full breakdown of how your data was used and compare the usage to previous months.
What Should You Do If You Think You’ve Been Hacked?
If you are seeing one or several of the signs that your Wi-Fi could have been hacked into, here is a step-by-step guide on what you can do.
Disconnect all devices: Switch off the Wi-Fi on your devices that were connected, including unplugging any smart devices.
Reset the router: Then, press and hold down the reset button located on your router.
Change passwords: Your Wi-Fi password, router login and any online accounts should all get new, secure passwords. Try avoid using the same password for every account.
Use an antivirus software: This will scan every device that was connected to your Wi-Fi to make sure no malicious viruses were installed on them.
Get in touch with your ISP: They could be able to detect unusual activity on your network and assist you with more advanced security settings.
