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Everywhere you go these days, data is whizzing through the airwaves. While we use 4G and 5G data on our smartphones as we're driving or walking, WiFi still dominates in the home. And in coffee shops. And libraries. And airports. Thanks to the ubiquity of wireless routers and hotspots, just about any plain old wired internet connection - faster and cheaper and without the limiting bandwidth caps of cellular data - can be turned into a convenient WiFi zone. That can cause a couple of problems: One, wireless signals are operating on the same frequency and they can cause interference, especially if you're living in an apartment building. Two, without the proper security, someone could easily hop onto your wireless network. Chances are you're reading this article because you suspect someone is piggybacking or using your WiFi without your permission. When wireless squatters steal your WiFi, they eat up your bandwidth. In extreme cases, they may even steal information off your computer or infect machines on your network with a virus.



But fear not: It's easy to fight back. Let's start with a basic overview of managing a wireless network, which is the first step toward keeping your WiFi setup secure. For more information on how to set up a wireless network, take a look at How WiFi Works. Now, let's look at a few of the areas in a wireless network that will give you a baseline for determining if your WiFi signal is being sapped unexpectedly. A wireless network is comprised of a broadband internet connection from a DSL, cable or satellite modem. You attach the modem to the wireless router, which distributes the signal and creates a network. This LAN is where you set up computer peripherals such as your desktop or laptop computer and printer. Your router will have what's called a dynamic host client protocol (DHCP) table. In essence, your DHCP table is your guest list of every allowed piece of computing equipment.



Each device has its own media access control (MAC) address. Think of this as its signature. Your router uses these addresses to assign each dick machine on your network an internet protocol (IP) address. The MAC and IP addresses of your equipment will be useful in a moment when we look at ways to detect whether or not someone is stealing your WiFi. For a more in-depth understanding of IP addresses, read What Is an IP address? There are also a couple of important terms related to WiFi that you should know. A service set identifier (SSID) is the name that identifies a wireless network. By default, this will probably be the name of your router - Netgear, Arris or ASUS or something similar - but you can have fun by changing it to something more personal or creative, like My WiFi Only, or anything you like. There are a number of WiFi varieties out in the wild, including 802.11n, which is capable of up to 600 megabit per second data transfers.



802.11ac is another standard, which allows for wireless speeds of over one gigabit per second. If you're confused by some of this computer mumbo jumbo, don't be. What's important is that you know what to look for when we get ready to diagnose your WiFi connection. Is Stealing WiFi a Felony? There isn't a federal law against stealing someone's WiFi. The 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act penalizes anyone who "intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access" but it was passed before WiFi was common. In 2007, a court in Michigan let a man off on felony charges for stealing a WiFi signal from a coffee shop while parked in his car. The man had been checking his email and browsing the internet and said exactly that to a curious police officer. It was eventually determined the man had no idea what he was doing was illegal, let alone a felony.



Is your wireless network running slowly? Do you have intermittent losses in internet access and you can't figure out why? First, take a breath. In all likelihood, no one is stealing your internet. Tons of things could cause a slow connection. Your internet service provider might be having issues or is overloaded with traffic. Your WiFi router might be experiencing interference from other electronics, or simply be having trouble penetrating the walls and furniture of your home to get a wireless signal to your computer. There's only one thing you need to prevent 99.9 percent of wireless squatters from using your internet connection: a password. Older standards like WEP and the first generation of WPA have been phased out for the more secure WPA2, which is itself now slowly being replaced by WPA3. WPA3 is the third and most recent iteration of WPA security, introduced to the marketplace in July 2020. Because this standard requires certain hardware specifications, many millions of older WiFi devices yet aren't able to use it.