How to Check Router History

In this article, we’ve addressed your query of how one can check router history. We’ve laid it out in plain, simple words, so even if you’re a tech-novice, you can easily monitor internet activity on your router. 

To access your router history, type your IP address in your internet browser, after which you’ll be redirected to your router’s setup page. Enter username and password and look for log settings or Wi-Fi history viewer. Click on either of the options, and you can check your router history. 

We’ve further scrutinized the process of how you can check router history. Therefore, in case the instructions aren’t clear yet, keep on reading, and they’ll be crystal clear in no time.  

Checking Your Router History: A Detailed Guide

Now that you have general knowledge about accessing your router history, let us dig even deeper into the matter to simplify the process further.  

In case you’re wondering what an IP address is, it’s basically a unique address that serves as the identity of a device on the internet. IP stands for “Internet Protocol,” a set of rules that govern how data is sent via the internet. If you are not sure about how you can find out your router’s IP address, you can follow these simple steps: 

• Click on the search bar and type run
• Open run and type CMD 
• Click OK, and soon Command Prompt will Open
• Type IPCONFIG/ALL and press Enter
• Look for Default Gateway in the Command Prompt
• The string of numbers parallel to the Default Gateway is your IP address

Now that you have the IP address, open your web browser, and enter this IP address in the URL bar. Soon, your router’s setup page will open, and you’ll be asked for a username and password. Enter the credentials (in most cases, both the username and password are “admin” or you can check the bottom of the router), and you can have access to your router’s dashboard. 

Here, you’ll find all types of tools. Look for log settings or Wi-Fi history viewer, and it will show you your router’s history. The logs will show you the following information: 

• The name of the website which was visited 
• Date and time of when the website was visited 
• The IP address of the device that visited the site 
• Whether the device was granted access to the site or not 

It might be possible that the router doesn’t provide the exact details of the website. This is due to the similarity of the IP addresses between the two websites. And since their IP address is similar, you won’t be displayed the complete information. In this case, you can turn to online tools that decipher the information in a way that makes sense to you. Since the internet pages are encrypted, you won’t be displayed accessed images and files on the web pages as well. 

If someone is using a VPN or browsing in incognito mode, it might be more challenging for you to check on their activities since these tools hide a device’s IP address.  

Check Who’s Using Your Wi-Fi: 

If you encounter some unusual activity while checking your router’s history, someone likely has your Wi-Fi password. Since they’re connected to your Wi-Fi, you can easily check their MAC address. This is how you do it: 

• Go to your router’s setup page 
• Look for an option that says “Attached devices,” or “Connected devices.” 
• You might also have an option of “DHCP clients.”
• Click on any of the options mentioned above as it differs from router to router
• A list will appear in which you can see the MAC address and name of all the connected devices 

If you don’t recognize a device on the list, it’s recommended that you change your Wi-Fi password immediately. You can also block the unwanted device from accessing your Wi-Fi. Here’s how you deny them access: 

• Go to your router’s Wi-Fi configuration page
• Copy the MAC address of the device you wish to block from the “Connected devices” option
• Click on the “Wireless” option and then on “Wireless MAC Filtering.”
• Then press the “Add New” button and paste the MAC address
• Click on “Enable,” and the unwanted device will not be granted access to your Wi-Fi.

How to Delete Your Router History: 

In case you’re wondering how you can delete your router history, fret not; we’ve got you covered. Open your router’s configuration page and head over to the system logs. Here, you’ll see a clear log button located at the bottom. Just click it, and all your logs will be deleted. 

You might want to access your logs in the future; therefore, you can copy-paste them on a word document or notepad. If you opt to delete logs of a specific device connected to your router, head over to the connected devices page. Double click on the device, and you’ll be able to see its logs. Then, click on the clear button, and the logs for that specific device will be cleared. 

Alternate Route to Clear Your Logs:

You can also clear your router history by resetting the router. This can be done with the aid of a paperclip. You can follow these simple steps to reset the router:

• Take the paperclip and hold down the reset button located at the back of the router
• Keep on pressing down the button until the lights are out. 

Congratulations, you’ve successfully cleared your router’s cache. This method isn’t recommended as resetting the router reverts it back to its factory settings, and all your previously saved data will be erased. 

This comprehensive article foremostly sheds light on how you can access your router history. We’ve also briefly touched on other topics, including how to check if someone’s using your router and how to delete your router history. If you’ve stuck with us through the whole article, you’ll be learning how to monitor internet activity on your router in no time.