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How to Monitor Network Traffic

This wikiHow teaches you how to see a list of IP addresses which are accessing your router. You can do this on both Windows and Mac computers by accessing your Internet router's page, while iPhone and Android users can download...
Method 1 of 3:

On Desktop

  1. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 1How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 1
    Find out your router's IP address. You can determine the IP address for your router by doing the following:
    1. Windows — Open Start
      How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 2How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 2
      , click Settings
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      , click Network & Internet, click View your network properties, scroll down to the "Wi-Fi" heading, and note the address next to the "Default gateway" section.
    2. Mac — Open the Apple menu
      How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 4How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 4
      , click System Preferences..., click Network, click your Wi-Fi connection on the left side, click Advanced..., click the TCP/IP tab, and note the address next to the "Router" heading.
  2. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 5How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 5
    Open a web browser. Click or double-click the app icon for your preferred web browser (e.g.,
    How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 6How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 6
    Google Chrome).
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    Click the address bar. This text field is at the top of the window.
    1. If there's any text in the address bar, delete it before proceeding.
  4. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 8How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 8
    Enter your router's address. Type in the address you found next to the "Default gateway" heading (Windows) or the "Router" heading (Mac), then press ↵ Enter.
  5. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 9How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 9
    Log into your router's page. Enter your router's username and password if asked, then press ↵ Enter.
    1. If you haven't set a username and password for your router's page, you may need to look on the back/bottom of the router or check its manual for the factory login credentials.
  6. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 10How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 10
    Find the "Connected Devices" list. This list will vary depending on your router, so look through your router's Settings, Advanced Settings, Status, and Connections tabs.
    1. Some routers may list this section as "DHCP connections" or "Wireless connections".
  7. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 11How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 11
    Review the list of connected items. The items in this list are currently connected to your router and thus are using your network.
    1. Many routers will also display a list of items which, while not connected now, have been connected in the past. These items will typically be greyed out or otherwise specified as not connected.
Method 2 of 3:

On iPhone

  1. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 12How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 12
    Download the Fing app. Fing is a free app which will find and name all of the items on your network. To download it, do the following:
    1. Open the
      How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 13How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 13
      App Store.
    2. Tap Search.
    3. Tap the search bar.
    4. Type in fing, then tap Search.
    5. Tap GET to the right of the Fing title.
    6. Enter your Touch ID, Face ID, or Apple ID password when prompted.
  2. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 14How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 14
    Open Fing. Tap OPEN to the right of Fing in the App Store, or tap the blue-and-white Fing app icon on one of your iPhone's Home Screen pages.
  3. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 15How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 15
    Wait for the list of IP addresses to appear. Opening Fing will immediately prompt it to begin looking for IP addresses, though the addresses may not display names for a few minutes.
  4. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 16How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 16
    Review the list of addresses. Once the IP addresses load, you can look through them to see which items are connected to your router.
    1. If you wait for a few minutes, Fing will rename some (or all) of the IP addresses to show their names and manufacturers.
Method 3 of 3:

On Android

  1. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 17How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 17
    Download the Network Utilities app. Network Utilities is a free app that can scan your Wi-Fi network for connected items. To install it, do the following:
    1. Open the
      How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 18How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 18
      Play Store.
    2. Tap the search bar.
    3. Type in network utilities.
    4. Tap the "Search" button.
    5. Tap the Network Utilities app icon, which resembles a collection of yellow spheres on a grey background.
    6. Tap INSTALL.
  2. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 19How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 19
    Open Network Utilities. Tap OPEN in the Google Play Store, or tap the grey-and-yellow Network Utilities app icon in your Android's App Drawer.
  3. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 20How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 20
    Tap ALLOW when prompted. This allows Network Utilities to access your Android's Wi-Fi settings.
  4. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 21How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 21
    Tap Local devices. It's on the left side of the screen.
    1. If you don't see this option, first tap ☰ in the upper-left corner of the screen.
  5. How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 22How to Monitor Network Traffic Picture 22
    Review the list of connected items. You'll see a list of IP addresses. Each of these addresses belongs to a specific item that's currently connected to your network.
    1. If you wait for a few minutes, Network Utilities will rename some (or all) of the IP addresses to show their names and manufacturers.
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