It is necessary to have Wi-Fi coverage in homes so that everyone could use the internet seamlessly. Children could watch their favorite cartoons in the TV lounge while parents could tend to their office work on dedicated workstations. However, unauthorized users may gain access to your Wi-Fi network which slows down your internet speeds at times. Such an issue is due to the high number of connected users and has nothing to do with your Cox connection. If you face any issues, dial Cox customer service number. Read on below to find out how you can kick unauthorized users off your Wi-Fi network.

Why Having Unauthorized Users Is a Problem?

Wi-Fi routers do not come for free. You have to pay for them and, therefore, deserve high bandwidth speeds and low latencies. However, if unauthorized users connect to your router due to the absence of security measures, your internet speeds and browsing experience will suffer. This is because the bandwidth will get divided between all the users. Hence, the reduction in internet speed is proportional to the number of unauthorized users.

There are many techniques to stop people from connecting to your Wi-Fi network. The steps are easy to implement and you will be able to protect your internet data in no time. These techniques are as follows:

Changing Your Wi-Fi Password

The easiest way to remove unwanted users from your Wi-Fi network is to change the Wi-Fi password. The standard practice is to change it every once in a while. However, if you become aware that someone is using your Wi-Fi, take this step immediately. Note that this will also restrict your family members and friends to connect to the device without knowing the new password temporarily. But they can re-enter the new password and connect to the network in no time.

Go to the admin panel of your router on 192.168.1.1. Here, changes your Wi-Fi network password. Make sure to use numerals, alphabets, and symbols to make it harder for people to guess, or hack it.

Changing the Name of Your Wi-Fi Network

Guests may visit your home and request the password of your Wi-Fi device. It is okay to share it with them. However, a better practice is to change the device name when they leave. Next time when they visit your house and try reconnecting to your website, they will not be able to do so. This is because the Wi-Fi name and password will not match. However, it is okay to share the details with responsible users.  

Blocking Mac Address

If you feel that your internet speed is slowing down, head over to your router’s admin panel. Next, go to the “Connections Manager”. Once you’re here, have a look at all the mac addresses. If you see an address that does not belong to any of the devices in your home, block it. The router will kick that user immediately from the network. It will not be able to connect to your Wi-Fi network until you unblock the mac address.

Allowing Only Specific Mac Addresses

In the “Connections Manager”, you can also restrict access to your home Wi-Fi network to only a few users. Enter the mac addresses of the devices that you want to provide access to.

Allowing Limited Number of Devices

If guests visit your home regularly, you may not want to restrict the access of your Wi-Fi network to certain mac addresses only. However, you can still restrict the number of users connecting to the Wi-Fi network in a single instance. This will help to keep the internet speeds stable for all users.

Calling for Support

If you’re unable to remove an unauthorized user despite following the above steps, simply call the customer service team of your ISP. They’ll guide you through the whole process.

Use a Tool

With the help of certain tools, you can make other users disconnect from it. One of the applications that will help you do this is WIFI Kill Pro. Do note that you will need to root your device to do so. Simply install it and follow the steps to disable the connection of other devices.