Unknown Device on Network: Learn How To Identify and Remove It

You may be able to see the unknown device on network connection of your phone or router along with the usernames of the networks.

More information on the unknown devices can be checked by tracing their MAC IDs. Your device also detects the SSIDs of other nearby devices.

Keep reading this article for more details!

Why Is the Unknown Device on Network Seen on the System?

The reason you may find strange devices on the network manager is that your Wi-Fi is using WPA Protocol. Your device will continuously try its attempts, even when connected already, to find a new network with better connections. Therefore, if you’re close to an internet connection, your device will show the stranger’s network on the network manager.

Once the devices are nearby, they send a “packet” of data consisting of device information that other devices recognize and respond to, by sending the same signals back from your device. These signals enable users to securely connect their devices to each other’s networks. These signals contain MAC and IP addresses. This is done to show the owner of the device that there is SSID “username” available but is secured.

How to Identify Devices Connected to Your Network?

On the screen, you can see the names of the networks. If any network names look unknown to you, you can remove them from your device or block them permanently from your phone/router. If you’re not sure how to identify the Wi-Fi network, check the following steps.

– Note the Device Mac Address To Identify the Unknown Device on Network

MAC address and IP address are saved once the device is connected safely to your network. Therefore, go to your phone or computer’s settings and then Wi-Fi settings, there you’ll find the MAC Address. Once you trace the MAC ID of the unknown network, you’ll know the location, time, and hours it has consumed your internet as well as the device name and manufacturer information.

– Check if It Matches the Network Address of Your Known Users

Check the list of MAC and IP addresses and see if any address is unknown. Remove that specific unknown network from your device. Once you know the unknown network you just have to go to the settings and force stop that particular network device and do a right-click on the network name to pop up options. Click on Block to block the network from your device.

Stop Strange Devices From Connecting to Your Network

Mostly, your device has a Wi-Fi-protected setup due to which a stranger device is only shown to you but it isn’t connected to your network device. To prevent a strange network from connecting to your device, you can download the Home Network Security app. You can do the following things to prevent the connection as well.

• Open the app and press scan. It will scan unknown networks that are not connected to your device.
• Update the default Wi-Fi SSID.
• Change your Wi-Fi password with a stronger one. It will increase security.
• Enable new device approval from your settings.

How To Prevent Connection in Windows 7, 8 and 10

In Windows 7, 8, and 10, the following are the methods to stop the stranger network from connecting to your device. Disabling Windows Connect Now, you can only see the devices that are currently connected to your network. To disable it, follow the following steps.

1. Press the start key along with the R button to open Run.
2. Search “Control Admintools” and press enter.
3. Double click on services shortcuts to open the window.
4. Right-click on “windows connect now” and go to Properties.
5. Go to the “general” tab and select “Disabled” in the options.
6. Click on stop located below the service status.
7. Click on apply and press the okay button.

You will not see any strange devices catching signals and showing them on your device anymore. Disabling the service stops the computer from going back to the default setting after the reboot of the system.

FAQs

1. What To Do if You Can’t Identify a Device Connection on Your WI-FI?

The simplest way is to change the router’s Wi-Fi password. You’ll have to enter the new password on all your connected devices again. This will strengthen your router’s password and increase its security.

2. How To Know What Devices Are Connected to the Router?

Enter the router’s admin password and tap on the login button. The dashboard will be displayed. Swipe up on the information panel of the network. The devices that are connected to the router will be displayed.

3. How To See Who Is on My Network?

In your settings, look for a name like “attached devices” or “connected devices”. Additionally, you can also find this on the Wi-Fi configuration page. Once in there, you can see all the connected devices. 

Furthermore, if there is any unknown connected device/ network just remove it from your list or block it.

4. Is There Any App To See Who Is Using My WiFi?

One of the best apps on the Google Play Store or online downloading app is “Fing – Network Tools”. It is one of the best Wi-Fi analyzer apps available. Just scan and in a while, you’ll have the strange network connections in front of you. Press on the remove button and they’ll be removed from your device.

5. How To Find a Rogue Access Point?

Enabling rogue access point detection on the wireless Firebox helps the wireless radio in the device to scan the wireless channels to identify the unknown wireless access points on your device. You can also configure the scan to run continuously or you can set time intervals for the scan.

6. Why Are Unknown Cell Phones Shown up on My Network?

It is not an unknown cell phone but a Wi-Fi signal that shows on your network. What you see on the screen is the nearby phones that have their mobile data/ Wi-Fi turned on and your phone is catching their signals, trying to connect to them. You’ll get the signals of the unknown networks every time they’re within the range of your router.

7. How to Block a Device From WiFi Connection?

It depends on the type of router you are using. However, the majority of the routers have options to add a device to the blocklist under the “Device management” section of the access point control panel. There you will see the “block user” button. Press that and the user you want to block from your connection will be blocked and removed. They will no longer be able to use your Wi-Fi network connection nor will you see their device on your screen.

8. How Can You Tell if Someone Is Using Your WiFi?

The advanced wireless routers now have indicator lights that show Internet connectivity, wired network connectivity as well as wireless connectivity. To check if someone is using your network, turn all the devices’ Wi-Fi off and unplug any plugged network connectivity and then observe the signal light on your wireless router. If the light does not stop flickering, it means someone else from the outside is using your Wi-Fi.

9. Can Devices Get Identified by Their Mac ID Address?

When a strange device is connected to your network the device collects the data of the stranger network and saves it in its history. That data contains MAC ID addresses and other information. That address can be used to identify the maker and model of the device, even when the device isn’t in our accessibility.

This is known as OUI, Organizationally Unique Identifier. It shows if the device that is connected to your network is a mobile, laptop or PC etc.

10. How to Block an Unknown Network’s Device on the Router?

Another way to block a strange network device on the router is given below.

1. Launch the browser and go into the router’s IP information.
2. Login by using the credentials.
3. Click on the advanced menu option and then on security.
4. Click on the MAC filter option.
5. Add/write the MAC ID address you want to block in the filter list.
6. Press on “Reject” for MAC filter mode.

After this, you will see the Stanger’s network ID and you can easily block it by right-clicking on the file and pressing the “Delete” option.

11. How To Remove a Device From My Network?

Removing a network device discovered by the explicit discovery in the operations console, you have to follow the below procedure.

• Select the Administration Workplace.
• Click on Network Devices.
• Right-click on the device that you want to delete.
• Now Click on the Delete button.
• You can also select multiple devices to delete in case you’re having many unknown networks connected to your device.

12. Can Someone Spy on Us Through Our WiFi?

Even when the Wi-Fi is secured and the security of it is enabled, someone who manages to connect to your network can see through your daily activities and detect almost all the activities including telling people where the person is, even without knowing the exact location of the device. They can essentially do monitoring surveillance of any location on your device. That can be very dangerous.

13. Can Our WiFi Get Hacked?

Yes, it is possible to hack your Wi-Fi and use it without you noticing. By using a technique called Domain Name Server, DMS hijacking, hackers can easily slip into your Wi-Fi and can cause you a great deal of harm.

14. Can We Identify if Our Router Has Been Hacked?

Yes, we can identify if our router has been hacked. Stated below are the symptoms of hijacked Wi-Fi.

• The router login is no longer effective.
• Strange or unknown IP and MAC addresses are listed on the network manager.
• You keep receiving fake antivirus messages and ransomware.

15. How to Trace the Activities if a Strange Device Is Connected to My Phone?

• Go to your phone’s settings and tap on “Apps and notifications”.
• Then tap on “Notifications” and further on “Notification history”.
• Now you’ll be able to see the alerts that are detected by your phone recently.

Therefore, if an unknown network or device has connected to your phone, there will be traces of what they’ve been up to so far.

16. Why Are There Random Devices That Keep Getting Connected to My WiFi?

Almost all smart gadgets with the Wi-Fi facility attempt to connect themselves with the nearby devices or their SSIDs. Therefore, people who will walk by your house or if you’re in a crowded area will keep getting “connected” to your SSID if it is the one with the strongest signals their device detected. Your network, however, will get aware of them and challenge them.

Conclusion

You now know why you see the strange networks on your device manager and how you can get rid of them or block them for security purposes.

Here is a recap of the main points in the article.

• Your Device catches the signals of other network devices near you by their SSIDs.
• Your router saves the IP and MAC ID addresses of the unknown networks as well.
• Disabling Windows Connect Now will only show the known device connected to your network. Unknown networks will not be shown to you.
• Lastly, keep a track of your known network’s MAC IDs so it’s easy to identify once an unknown network is connected to your device.

Hope you’ll have no trouble with the unknown network connections now after learning about it in detail. Thank you for reading.