Can WiFi Owner See What Sites I Visit on my Phone or Incognito?

WiFi is essential in today’s world, and many people rely on it for work or relaxation. It’s only natural, then, if you’ve ever asked yourself, “Can a WiFi owner see what sites I visit on my phone or in Incognito Mode?”

Once you link to a WiFi network, your phone or computer will receive and send data packages or packets from and to the router. Fortunately, the data packets can’t hold your online activities or browsing history.

There are some tools that WiFi providers use to track internet traffic. This tool helps you to detect security issues and optimize WiFi network performance. However, they also give access to the sites you visit and logs for messages, calls, and apps.

What Exactly Do Wi-Fi Owners See?

Here are some important things which can Wi-Fi owners can see|:

If you connect Wi-Fi to your devices, you can access the network’s admin settings and also able to see the data which should be transferred. It helps you to access such information through the router’s network settings.

You can also check the Wi-Fi browsing history and the logs of their network by accessing the websites you visit.

However, you do have the option to hide your browsing history. Moreover, the data Wi-Fi owners can access on the encryption leveraged. For example, a Wi-Fi network that uses WPA2 encryption ensures. Wi-Fi providers won’t be able to pick off traffic between the router and the device.

By using any VPN software, you will be able to encrypt any data or information between your phone and the VPN server. It also helps you to stop others from breaking your privacy.

How To Check Browsing History on a Wi-Fi Router

Checking the browsing Wi-Fi history varies because there are various brands and models of Wi-Fi routers.

Here are steps to access the browsing history on a router:

Step 1) The first step to checking browsing history on a router is connecting your mobile device or computer to the router’s WiFi network.

Step 2) Then, open a browser and key the router’s IP address in your address bar.

Note: You can find the address in the router’s documentation or on the router itself. In case you can’t find it, you should search for the brand and model of the router online.

Step 3) Next, sign into the router’s settings page using the administrator Wi-Fi password and the username found in the router’s documentation.

Note: If you made no changes to the logins (username and password), you can find them online.

Step 4) Check for the “History” or “Activity Log” section on the router’s settings page.

Step 5) You will be able to view the list of visited sites. In addition, you’ll see the time and date of each website visit.

How To Stop Wi-Fi Owners from Seeing Your Search History

The Wi-Fi network admin can monitor their network traffic, including search history and website visits.

If you prefer privacy, here are some steps you can follow to stop Wi-Fi owners from seeing your search history:

Method 1: Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Using a VPN is an effective way of stopping a Wi Fi network admin from seeing the websites you visit and monitoring what you search. It also works by encrypting your internet traffic and then routing it to a private server operated by the VPN company.

Method 2: Use the Tor Browser

If you want to maintain your privacy and hackers from checking your search history, use the open-source anonymous Browser Tor.

It uses a method called “onion routing,” which creates layers of encryption by redirecting internet traffic through a series of relays and nodes. In addition, it also hides your IP address, making it harder to access your search history.

Method 3: Use Incognito Mode

You can also use an incognito mode in your web browser to prevent Wi-Fi owners from accessing your search history. However, your internet traffic will still be visible.

Method 4: Clear Your Cookies

They are small files that are stored by websites on your computer or mobile device. They are used to preserve valuable data, like addresses and passwords. However, they can also track your online activity. So, consider clearing your cookies to help prevent Wi-Fi providers from seeing your browsing activity.

Method 5: Change Your (Domain Name System) DNS Settings

DNS settings convert the addresses of websites into IP addresses. Therefore, changing these settings can stop WiFi providers from seeing the websites you accessed.

How You Can Hide Browsing and Search History on WiFi Using VPN

You can use ExpressVPN to hide your search and browsing history on WiFi.

Here are the steps to hide your search and browsing history on WiFi using VPN:

Step 1) Go to https://www.expressvpn.com/ and sign up for an ExpressVPN account.

Step 2) Choose your desired subscription plan.

Step 2) After this, download the VPN software on your mobile phone or computer.

Step 3) Create an ExpressVPN program and connect to your selected VPN server.

Step 4) After connecting ExpressVPN to your selected server, your network traffic will encrypt and route through the VPN server.

Note: ExpressVPN has a “Network Lock” feature, which helps to block network traffic in case there is an interruption of the VPN connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions people frequently ask:

Yes. If you’re using a WiFi network with someone else, there is the potential your browsing history will be visible. Remember, internet traffic between your computer or phone and the websites you access transfers through the internet in plain text. That means anyone sharing a WiFi network could monitor and intercept your internet traffic.

No. A person’s network or internet activity isn’t visible on the WiFi bill. They only show the amount of data or information used and the period of internet connection.

No. If you use DuckDuckGo, a WiFi owner won’t have access to your search history. DuckDuckGo leverages HTTPS encryption, which protects your online search activities. Therefore, it will be difficult for the internet service provider to see your browsing history.

Take Away

If you’re browsing on a secure website with HTTPS encryption, the WiFi Provider or owner can’t see the website you visited. However, they can see the IP addresses of websites and domain names of the websites you visit. They can also see how much data you use.