Who's on my network?

I've had new devices connect to my home network over the past two days. I only noticed the popup telling me today.
I run Windows7-64 bit with a Cisco DPC3825 router. WPA-2 enabled.

Some history. All was fine until a friend of ours was over and my wife read her the password so she could access the web here on her phone. That was a couple weeks ago. This woman's daughter lives three houses down from me. This is the only non-hacking breach I can think of. I don't think the woman copied the password.
I don't see why anyone would take the time to hack my network when there is an unsecure network available in the neighbourhood.

So I have some questions.

1. Is this woman able to go to her daughter's house with her phone and share the password with her? An extra note here, the daughter's brother is a very adept computer geek.

2. Is it possible to have a secure password plus a "guest" password that I could give out when someone is visiting and then easily change after they leave?

3. I will be spending time this weekend resecuring my network. I have twelve known devices on the network. Can I automatically change them all at once or do I have to do each manually?

 

Blocking the MAC addresses that don't belong on the network should be possible from within your router.

If you still get problems, try turning off the wireless for a few day or so, wifi can be hacked, MAC addresses can be forged.

And change the router Admin password to something non-dictionary, complex, secure.

As for guest access, you can grant access to them, then block their MAC when they've gone - allow their MAC again next time they visit.

I expect I missed something - anyone else?

Oh yes, ensure they have no physical access to the machine you use to control the router.

 

Thanks satrow.
My Admin password is secure but it is a word and numbers so if I was hacked it was likely that way. I didn't think of that.
I'm not a fan of the MAC address solution. I did that with my first network and it was always only temporary. That person was relentless. There's more networks around here to choose from now.

Are you telling me there is no guest password option?

 

No, I'm not telling you there's no guest options, I don't know your router usually 'real' guest options are limited in many ways, like only having outside, not LAN, access - and they only tend to be found on a limited number of more expensive routers. Check your router pages or the manual/website is best.

Try moving the router to a more distant part of the property from the road/problem person; turn down the power output on the wireless as well. It might be enough.

 

Sibeer - are you including the new devices in your total of 12? Have a count up on how many devices exactly should be connecting - not including your friend's phone.

Yes. Did she? If not then someone has hacked your network.

Got any bored teenagers nearby? oh yeah - check - a few doors down. Maybe someone else wanted the practice to see if they could do it.

Your a trusting soul, you have no idea what this person is looking at or downloading via your network and your waiting till the weekend to fix things. I would be turning that router off now and not switching it back on until I could sit there and work on it.
Ideal remedy is to reset your router and start fresh. If this is too large a task, then at the VERY least reset your password on the Router, (sooner the better). Let each device reconnect with your router and put the new password in them one by one.

I refuse to give my network key to even family when they visit, specially if it's only a short visit, heck can't they live without the internet for two hours? After all they did come to visit :confused
Maybe you should ponder over how vital it is for "visitors" to have your network key?

 

I reset the router password after reading satrows post. That shouldn't be an issue anymore. Not even I can remember it, and a new network password was done today seeing as I'm off work today and Friday. I still have most of the devices to set up yet.
I've had no activity since, and the two devices I don't know about were only on for a few minutes when they showed up. I use Network Magic so I can see how long they were on for.
The twelve devices are mine or my wife's, and my son's phone.
Thanks for answering my questions.

Oh all the "kids" in question are late twenties and (I hope) somewhat respectful.

 

A quick update. The "hackers" were my son and his girl friend. They have new phones and their internet wasn't set up at there house yet, so they wanted to try them out here.
So it got me around to making some router changes that I kept putting off.
Thanks for the help guys.

 

Thanks for the update

I think most people reading this would probably suspect youngsters first, I doubt if there was any malice or illegal downloading involved, there rarely is, just a desire to brag about their new toys on their FB pages or similar.

Something of a relief for you to be able to pin it down though.

 

Sibeer,
Mystery solved, thank goodness for that, them young'uns, you have to have eyes in the back of your head , give them the access key once and then their off putting it on every darn techno gadget they have, without even telling you.
Hope your keeping the new key out of bounds for a while :-D. All's well then, no nasty hackers in your neighbourhood.

 

Yeah, keeping in mind they're not that young...mid twentys. They're back on the network :banghead:-D.
They know now to identify their devices when they add them.
Then when my daughters come back to visit..... :banghead again.