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How to Remove Devices From WiFi Without Changing the Password

Sometimes even the strongest of passwords can get compromised. Whether your WiFi password was leaked via a guest who you allowed on your network or was cracked using a sophisticated software tool, the end result is the same.

Someone now has access to your wireless network and your internet connection that you did not intend them to have. The simplest and perhaps most secure option is to change your WPA 2 encryption key. This will send them back to square one. They will no longer be able to use your internet connection.

How to Remove Devices From WiFi Without Changing the Password
How to Remove Devices From WiFi Without Changing the Password

However, sometimes that is not convenient as it requires re-setting up all of your devices. With some homes now with over 30 connected devices, including many IoT devices, it is easy to see why you may wish to avoid changing your Wi-Fi password.

There are several steps that can be used to get users off of your home Wi-Fi network. Each method has its own pros and cons, but ultimately they all stop people from using your internet without your permission. Depending on the circumstances, using MAC filtering or changing other settings can be effective to get people off your network and stop them from using your internet bandwidth.

MAC Address Filtering

MAC address filtering is likely the simplest way to kick someone off of your WiFi without needing to change the password. MAC address filtering works by only allowing authorized devices to connect to the network.

However, there are a few reasons that MAC address filtering may not be a particularly great option for most people.

  1. Security is less than strong
  2. MAC address randomization on modern versions of iOS and Android
  3. Requires additional effort when setting up a new device on your home network

Security experts strongly remind people that MAC address-based restrictions are extremely easy to bypass. All a person that wants to access your wireless network needs is the MAC address of an authorized client device. Tools such as Wireshark make this a breeze for anyone with any technical skills.

Modern iPhones and Android phones come with a security/privacy feature enabled by default called MAC address randomization. This means that every few minutes, your phone will present itself as a new MAC address to the network. This is great for privacy but effectively makes MAC address filtering impossible to implement properly.

Finally, MAC address filtering is a pain in the neck. You will need to write down the MAC addresses of every device you own and manually enter them into your router settings menu. Then every new device you want to connect, you will have to register those before they will be able to connect. If you think changing your WiFi password is an inconvenience, MAC address filtering is certainly not for you.

WiFi MAC Address Filtering

Utilizing Your Router Manufacturer’s Mobile App

Many routers now come with the ability to block specific devices from within a mobile app. This is a simple option that may or may not be that effective, depending on how well your router manufacturer has implemented this feature.

Generally, this works on a similar idea to MAC address filtering and works by blacklisting devices rather than whitelisting devices. Although this appears to be a simple solution, it still faces issues with MAC address randomization.

It is also less than secure because all the other person has to do is change their MAC address to anything else, and they are off the blacklist. This is a trivial task in most operating systems, including Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Many ISP routers come with this option as well as routers that your buy on your own. This solution may be sufficient if the other person is less than tech-savvy, but should not be looked at as a permanent solution.

Forget The WiFi Network From the Device

Let’s be clear, this is only an option if you physically have access to the device and the other person doesn’t know the existing WiFi password. The most common scenario for this would be a child’s tablet or other device that you have previously joined to your Wi-Fi network.

This is probably not why you clicked on this article, but in some cases, this could be the solution you are looking for. You will need physical access to the computer or other device for this method to work. You will then go into the list of saved networks and forget or delete the network from the list.

Unplugging Your Router When Not in Use

This is not an ideal solution by any means. However, if you just need a quick way to get people off of your WiFi while you are away or while you prepare to change your password, this is a valid option.

People who are using your Wi-Fi will get increasingly frustrated if it is powered off for a significant portion of the time. They will likely look for another network to connect to rather than yours.

However, we caution you about regularly turning off your WiFi router. Routers are made to be powered on at all times.

Turning Off Your Modem Every Night

Conclusion: How to Kick Someone Off Your WiFi Without Changing the Password

How to remove connected devices on wifi? Changing your WiFi password is by far the best way to kick someone off your WiFi network. However, there may be times when you wish to consider other alternatives.

Alternatives such as MAC address filtering are viable options in some situations. Unfortunately, they are relatively easy for someone to bypass using MAC address spoofing. A good long 15+ random character WiFi password set to use WPA2 with AES encryption is significantly harder to bypass than any kind of device filtering or blocking.

All of them require you to either login to your router through your web browser using its IP address or use the mobile app that is designed to work with your router. You will change your Wi-Fi password in the wireless section of your router’s interface.

The best way to block devices connected to my wifi is simply to change your WiFi password, but if you absolutely need a different solution, you now are aware of your other options for removing devices from your home WiFi network without changing the password