When you're paying for your home Internet, the last thing you want is to have someone join the network and use your bandwidth. This may end up costing you money if your bandwidth usage surpasses your monthly limit. If you live remotely, you don't really need to worry about someone using your connection. However, if you're in an urban area with nearby neighbors — for example, in an apartment or condo — many neighbors will be able to see your network and could potentially try to join it. Here are some simple strategies to effectively manage your network by keeping people off it.

Protect It With A Password

If you have an open network that people can see, you can be sure that people are using it. Those without connections may jump onto yours, while those who wish to download media files without slowing down their connection speed or adding to their monthly bandwidth may also seek to do so. The best thing you can do to keep people away is to secure your network with a password. Doing so automatically reduces the likelihood of others using your network. When you select a password, come up with something that people won't be able to guess, such as a random assortment of letters and numbers.

Monitor Your Usage Carefully

It's a good idea to check your Internet usage regularly throughout the month. Over time, you'll see patterns develop. For example, you might use about 30 gigabytes over the course of the month. Monitoring the usage carefully can indicate if someone else has begun using your network. For example, if you use about 30 gigabytes month after month but the usage is now 45 gigabytes without you changing your Internet habits, there's a strong likelihood that someone has guessed your password and joined your network. In this case, you'll want to quickly change your password.

Turn Off The Connection When You're Away

There's little value in keeping your connection active when you're not home. While you might not want to go to the fuss of turning off the connection each time you leave for work, this is something that you should definitely do when you're away on vacation or traveling for business. When the connection is turned off, it will no longer appear in your neighbors' lists of available connections. This type of network management decreases the chance of someone guessing your password and joining your network when you're not around.