Stop
neighbors from stealing your Internet
Kim
Komando, Special for USA TODAY8:47 a.m. EST November 20, 2015
You're ready to stream the latest
episode of your favorite show. The popcorn smell permeates the room, you're
settled in your favorite spot and everything is perfect. When you fire
up Netflix, frustration sets in. The video is fuzzy and keeps pausing.
Perhaps your Internet
connection hit a temporary speed bump or is it something else? Could your
neighbors be tapping into your Internet connection, sucking up valuable
bandwidth and leaving you and your gadgets with just leftover crumbs of
capacity? How do you know which it is? And if someone is stealing your
Internet, what can you do about it?
Catch the Internet thief
Start by taking stock of your
network. Log in to your router and check the section that shows what gadgets
are connected to the network. Check your router's manual for instructions on
logging in. If you can't find your manual, download a
digital copy here.
If you want an easier solution, you
can grab the aptly named Wireless
Network Watcher. This free program gives you a list of gadgets
connected to your Wi-Finetwork.
Once you have the list of connected
gadgets, identify the ones that belong to you. Your computer should show up in
the list using its name, for example. Your tablet or smartphone should have the
manufacturer or operating system name in there somewhere. You’ll also see
streaming video gadgets and video game consoles.
If you can't make heads or tails of
the list, simply turn off each gadget one by one (or just disable the gadget's
Wi-Fi ) to figure out what is what. Take a screen shot or write it down for
future reference. When you find a gadget connected to your network that doesn't
belong to you, there’s the culprit.
You might need to check back a few
times if the Internet slowdown is random. The culprit might only be using your
Internet infrequently.
Stop an Internet thief
Even if you spot a rogue connection,
however, you won't be able to tell exactly who is connected. You could barge
into your neighbors' houses to check their gadgets' names and MAC addresses.
For the record, I don't recommend doing that.
Fortunately, it doesn't matter.
Encrypting your Wi-Fi network will usually be enough to keep intruders
out. Click here to
learn how to secure your Wi-Fi against intruders.
In fact, you should secure your
Wi-Fi network no matter what. There are too many horror stories of criminals or
perverts using someone else's Wi-Fi in hacking attacks or trading illegal
images. As the owner of the Wi-Fi, you're going to have to straighten things
out with the police, and it won't be fun.
If your network is already
encrypted, and someone still snuck on, change your password immediately. Then,
keep an eye on things to see if they manage to get on again.
If they do, it's possible they got
into your router and set up a backdoor. Reset your router to factory settings
(check your manual for instructions) then set it up again from scratch. That means
changing the default password, enabling encryption, picking a new SSID and
turning off any remote management features.
Note: If you change your encryption
password, you will need to update the password on all your gadgets before they
can connect again.
Other causes of a slowdown
If you go through these steps and
don't see an unauthorized connection on your Wi-Fi, and your Internet is still
slow, then you'll need to do more troubleshooting. Test your Internet speed to
see if it matches the speed that you're paying for. Try running the speed test
a few times with your computer both plugged directly into the router and over
Wi-Fi.
If your Wi-Fi speed is way slower
than your Internet speed, disconnect all but one of your gadgets and try it
again. It could be that you have too many and they're bogging down the network.
If that's the case, you might need to upgrade your router to a newer model that
can handle more traffic.
Otherwise, call your Internet
provider and express your concerns. You might be due for a modem upgrade
or there could be another problem on the line. If you do need a modem
upgrade, learn a handy
buying trick that can save you money in the long run.
============================================ For a great satire on email, please see the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTgYHHKs0Zwscoop_post=bcaa0440-2548-11e5-c1bd-90b11c3d2b20&__scoop_topic=2455618
===============================================
Good Netiquette And A Green Internet To All!
Special Bulletin - My just released book,
"You're Hired. Super Charge our Email Skills in 60 Minutes! (And Get That Job...)
is now on sales at Amazon.com
Great Reasons for Purchasing Netiquette IQ
·
Get more
email opens. Improve 100% or more.
·
Receive
more responses, interviews, appointments, prospects and sales.
·
Be better
understood.
·
Eliminate
indecisin.
·
Avoid
being spammed 100% or more.
·
Have
recipient finish reading your email content.
·
Save time
by reducing questions.
·
Increase
your level of clarity.
·
Improve
you time management with your email.
·
Have
quick access to a wealth of relevant email information.
Enjoy
most of what you need for email in a single book.
=================================
**Important note** - contact our company for very powerful solutions for IPmanagement (IPv4 and IPv6, security, firewall and APT solutions:
www.tabularosa.net
==================================================
Another Special Announcement - Tune in to my radio interview, on Rider University's station, www.1077thebronc.com I discuss my recent book, above on "Your Career Is Calling", hosted by Wanda Ellett.
In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ
has a website with great
assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the
premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to
Improve,
Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super
Charge
Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” has just been
published and will be followed by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for
young people. You can view my
profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
In addition to this blog, I maintain a radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ and PSG of Mercer County, NJ.
I am the president of Tabula Rosa Systems,
a “best of breed” reseller of products for communications, email,
network management software, security products and professional
services. Also, I am the president of Netiquette IQ. We are currently developing an email IQ rating system, Netiquette IQ, which promotes the fundamentals outlined in my book.
Over the past twenty-five years, I have enjoyed a dynamic and successful career and have attained an extensive background in IT and electronic communications by selling and marketing within the information technology marketplace.Anyone who would like to review the book and have it posted on my blog or website, please contact me paul@netiquetteiq.com.
=============================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment