{"id":5199,"date":"2023-07-20T08:20:36","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T08:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routerctrl.com\/?p=5199"},"modified":"2023-11-22T15:18:01","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T15:18:01","slug":"wi-fi-routers-track-internet-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routerctrl.com\/wi-fi-routers-track-internet-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Wi-Fi Routers Track Internet History?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most straightforward answer would be – YES. However, it is a bit more complicated than that. It is like asking, \u201cCan cars go 250 mph?\u201d The simplest answer would be -YES. Some cars, indeed, can go 250 mph but not all of them and not in all situations. The same goes here. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some routers with a large enough memory storage are set up to track and log all user activities pretty much out of the box, and some routers act simply as an access point to the internet and don\u2019t keep logs. <\/span><\/p>\n

At least not longer than the last 24h. And, lastly, there are many models in between that have the capabilities to track and log user activities but need to be set up and configured in order to do so. <\/span><\/p>\n

To find out the capabilities of the specific router, you are interested in; you\u2019ll need to google it. But, in case you are curious how it works, what is logged, who can access those logs, and how to keep your privacy, keep reading to the end. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Do<\/p>\n

How Do They Do It?<\/h2>\n

As we\u2019ve mentioned earlier, Wi-Fi routers have some memory storage capacity to save the logs of online user activities. Every time you connect to the network, your device sends its unique ID – MAC address and gets an IP address from the router to use in that session. <\/span><\/p>\n

Suppose the router has tracking features built-in, and they are enabled. In that case, that is pretty much all the information it needs to differentiate users and track their activities on the individual level. <\/span><\/p>\n

Routers are a junction for all the traffic coming in and out of the network. Therefore, every request for an internet page, photo, or video goes through the router.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Do They Track?<\/h2>\n

The specific answer also depends on the make and model and how you use the internet. Still, if you are an average user who doesn\u2019t use specialized browsers or VPN software, a router can log pretty much anything and everything.<\/span><\/p>\n