Unraveling a Mysterious Wi-Fi Connection: A Conundrum with My In-Laws’ Internet

I recently encountered a perplexing issue that I’ve never previously faced. While I was able to find a wealth of discussions on technology and cybersecurity topics, this particular predicament seemed to stand alone. With a background in Computer Science and Cyber Security Consultancy, but having moved away from the technical realm for a few years, I thought it best to share this situation here before consulting a professional contact.

Currently, I am staying with my spouse’s parents in the UK, where they are subscribed to Virgin as their Internet Service Provider. They have a Hub 3 router, but, somewhat concerningly, both the Wi-Fi SSID and password are still set to factory defaults. This means their SSID appears as “VM” followed by several digits, and the WPA2 password is an assortment of random letters and numbers, which can be located on a sticker on the router itself.

As our household has grown, the Hub 3 has struggled to manage the numerous connections, prompting me to purchase a high-end router. My intention was to switch the Hub 3 to modem mode and let the new device manage all Wi-Fi routing effectively.

This is where things took a strange turn. Despite the Virgin router being powered off, my phone still detected a weak connection to it. Intrigued, I decided to use a Wi-Fi analyzer app to identify the source of this mysterious signal. I quickly discovered that the strongest signal emanated from the back of the house, particularly in my in-laws’ bedroom.

My in-laws are adamant that there is no additional access point in their home. The only connection has been to the Hub 3, and with recent renovations in their bedroom, there’s no hidden device lurking. The unsettling conclusion was undeniable—the internet access must be coming from the neighboring house!

To complicate matters further, the access point in question is a TalkTalk router, not Virgin. It should not be broadcasting an SSID that begins with “VM,” but rather one that starts with “TalkTalk.” After performing a WHOIS lookup on my public IP address while connected, I confirmed what I suspected: I was indeed using a TalkTalk internet connection.

This unauthorized access point is utilizing our SSID and WPA2 password. How could this happen?!

The neighboring house operates as a rented multi-occupancy residence, meaning a constant influx of new tenants. I have no idea how