If you notice a slowdown on your network one of the first things you should check is to see if someone outside of your household has connected. "Piggybackers" can make your network run more slowly and sometimes hinder the way your devices are working. How can you determine this?
Fing is a great free app for both iOS and Android devices. Once downloaded you don't need to set up any kind of account nor do you need to enable permissions when asked just to run a check of how many devices are on your network. You should have a pretty good idea of what devices you have so if there is something strange showing up it is worth questioning. Any Smart plugs or devices will show up on your network. The first time I ran Fing it displayed 29 devices on our network! Shocked me, but there are indeed that many smart plugs and devices (computers. mobile devices, Roku's, Apple TV's and printers) on our network now that my mom is living with us.
If you do see devices that do not belong to you, it is time to change the password on your WiFi network. Remember: If you change your WiFi password, ALL devices connected to it will have to have the new password entered on them. That's a real chore but entirely worth it if someone is using your WiFi without permission. It could be a legal issue, too, if they are using your network for illegal activity on the web.
It's our responsibility to do as much as we can to stay secure online. Fing can help you do that. (If you are a ValuNet customer using Plume pods in your home, the Plume app on your phone will monitor your network just like Fing).
Have a wonderful day; big change in weather here in the Midwest!
Jeline
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