How to See Which Device Is Using Your Wi-Fi Data
Your router's device list, your provider's app, and per-device tracking: three ways to find out which phone, laptop or TV is using up your Wi-Fi or hotspot data.
6 min readUpdated
The short answer
If the data is going through your phone's hotspot, your phone can often tell you which devices used it. For home Wi-Fi or a MiFi, your router's admin page lists connected devices, and some routers show usage for each one.
The most reliable way is to measure on each device and compare, which is what Dataly does for the devices you own.
If you share your phone's hotspot
Everything a laptop or tablet does on your hotspot counts against your phone's mobile data, so this is often where a bundle disappears.
iPhone
- 1On iOS 26.4 and later, open Settings > Personal Hotspot and tap Data Usage. You'll see each connected device and how much it used. The option only appears if the hotspot was used recently.
- 2On earlier versions, open Settings > Cellular, scroll down and tap Personal Hotspot to see the devices that have used it.
Newer Apple devices appear by name. Android phones, Windows laptops and older Apple devices are grouped together as "Other Devices".
Android
Open your mobile data usage screen (usually Settings > Network & internet) and look for Hotspot & tethering in the app list. That shows the total shared. Many phones also list connected devices on the hotspot settings screen, though not always how much each used.
If it's your home Wi-Fi or a MiFi
Your router sees every device on the network, so it is the natural place to look. How much it shows depends on the model.
- 1Find the admin address and password. They are usually printed on a sticker on the router or MiFi, often an address like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.
- 2Open that address in a browser on a device connected to the network, and sign in.
- 3Look for a page called something like Connected devices, Attached devices or DHCP clients. Some routers also have a Traffic statistics or Bandwidth page with usage per device.
Some internet providers and MiFi makers have an app that shows the same list without the admin page.
Where routers fall short
- Many routers list devices but don't record how much data each one used.
- Devices often appear under unhelpful names, like a model number or a string of letters.
- Counts can reset when the router restarts.
- It only covers that one network. It can't tell you what your phone used on mobile data, or your laptop at the office.
Measure on each device
Every phone and computer counts its own traffic. Checking each device gives you real numbers under names you recognise, on any network. The downside is doing it one device at a time and adding it up yourself. See How to Track Your Data Usage for where to find the numbers on each platform.
Once you know which device it is
- A TV or streaming stick: lower the streaming quality in the app's settings. HD and 4K use several times more data than standard definition.
- A Windows laptop: set the network as metered in Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, under the network's properties. Windows then holds back many updates and background downloads.
- A Mac, iPhone or iPad: turn on Low Data Mode for that Wi-Fi network or hotspot to pause automatic updates and background tasks.
- A phone: see which apps are responsible with Which Apps Use the Most Mobile Data?.
Summary
- Phone hotspots: iPhone (iOS 26.4 and later) shows data per connected device under Settings > Personal Hotspot.
- Home Wi-Fi and MiFi: the router's admin page lists connected devices, and some models show usage per device.
- Routers only see their own network and often lack usage numbers or clear names.
- Measuring on each device is the most accurate way, and Dataly pairs your devices so you see them together.