New
#1
Unauthorized Internet User Detection
It may not be the problem, but for the last couple of days, my available bandwidth has dropped off drastically at intervals, and shortly later returned to normal.
There was no sign of any activity on my computer, as far as processor or hard drive activity, nor did my firewall indicate anything going on either. However, checking with SpeedTest.net, instead of my usual 3.3mbps connection, it would show only .8 to .9mbps. Obviously, this severely hampered my usage during those periods.
As far as I can see, that only leaves the possibilities of cable problems, or that some unknown person was using my connection. In the past, when there was a cable company problem, it would last longer, but not be sporadic. This is what makes me wonder about the other possibility.
It would seem that if someone was using my signal, it wouldn't necessarily show up on my computer, if they found a way to hack into my router's password system, and was treated as part of the network. If this were true, how would one detect that connection and activity?
I have a remote outlet switch, that I have been thinking of plugging the router into, so that I can switch it off and on. Would that do any harm to my router?