I recently checked my router's admin page for the first time in a while and found an unrecognizable device connected to my WiFi. Its MAC address is 00:19:88:45:45:a8 and it appears to be made by Wi2Wi Inc. After checking all my electronics at home, I couldn't find this device anywhere. Initially, I changed my WiFi password and SSID, which caused the device to disconnect. I experimented by pinging it and got a local IP address, but once I changed the password, I couldn't ping it anymore. When I switched back to the original SSID and password, the device reappeared. After a few more attempts of changing the password back and forth, the device finally stopped reconnecting after changing the credentials a couple of times. This makes me think it might have been a physical device controlled by someone who noticed I found out about it. I haven't seen any odd activities in my accounts except for possibly in my Microsoft account. I'm worried about what access they might have had to my personal devices or information. How concerned should I be? We don't own any IoT devices, and previously our WiFi password was a random 15-character string provided by our ISP.
3 Answers
It sounds like a savvy move changing the SSID and password! Just so you know, any device that knows the old credentials will reconnect when you switch back. A better approach is to create a new SSID and password that you haven't used before. That way, if the device was something like a neighbor's device, it won't be able to connect anymore.
First off, kudos for being proactive! Not many people check their router settings. The MAC indicating Wi2Wi could be misleading—these modules are in a ton of gadgets like printers or older tech, so it could just be something you didn’t recall connecting. You might want to keep an eye on your accounts for unusual activities, but unless you had open network settings, the risk might be lower than it seems. A router reset and stricter security can give you peace of mind!
Hey, great job catching that! The fact that it shows as a Wi2Wi device could mean it's just something random, maybe even a neighbor's device. It's not unusual for a device to reconnect if it knows the credentials. If you are concerned, I recommend a factory reset on your router, enable MAC filtering, and regularly check the connected devices. It’s probably not as serious as it seems, but it's smart to stay cautious!
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