I'm not great with tech, so I apologize if this seems like a silly question. I live in an apartment with only one coax outlet, which I've plugged my Xfinity router into. My roommate didn't pay his half of the WiFi bill, so I blocked all his devices from accessing my network. However, he installed a coax splitter and has a cord going from my router into his room with a router of his own. I don't see any new networks available that could belong to him. Is he bypassing my device blocks and somehow using my internet through his router? I'm confused about how this all works. Again, sorry if this is a dumb question.
2 Answers
The only way his router would work from that coax outlet is if he has his own separate internet service. So likely, he isn't using your WiFi directly. However, if he had previously connected an ethernet cable from your router to his room, he could still be using it unless you unplugged it, which you mentioned you did. It sounds like he might just have his own WiFi up and running now, especially if his router looks like it's functioning properly.
That’s likely the case. It's worth checking in on him about it.
Your roommate is definitely still using the internet you pay for. Without paying for his own service, he can’t activate another router with that coax outlet. If he hooked up an ethernet cable from your router to his, that's how he'd be getting around your blocks. Since you're checking frequently, it might be worth chatting with him about this situation, especially since it seems like he's just trying to use your connection without contributing.
How could he even do that with the cable provider? They would need to activate a second modem if he's setting up his own.
You need to be careful, though. If he's using a splitter, it might cause your internet speed to drop depending on its quality. You should definitely have a talk with him.
Yeah, I unplugged it when he stopped paying, and I've checked to make sure he didn't plug it back in. So I guess it's safe to think he set up his own WiFi?