Troubleshooting router issues almost always starts with simple advice along the lines of ‘have you tried turning it off and then on again,‘ but when you have to dig deeper, it’s the wild, wild west out there. One of the more important pieces of advice that I don’t see cropping up often is that you should actually set up router alerts to know what’s happening to your network at all times.
Given how important most things on our networks are, I’m surprised that more people don’t tap into this option. Here’s how it works and how to check whether you can set it up, too.
New device alerts should be the first thing you enable
You don’t want anything joining your network without a clear invitation
Before going further, it’s important to note that these alert settings aren’t universal. Some routers give you a neat app toggle for them, some bury them in a web interface, some tie the better alerts to a paid security suite, and some older ISP-provided routers may not offer much beyond a basic device list and system log.
That doesn’t make this any less useful, though; it’s just that you have to start by checking what your router can actually do.
Start with your router’s companion app, because that’s where most consumer brands put these options now. Brands like TP-Link, Netgear, Google, and Asus have their proprietary software, and as it’s proprietary, the exact path to these settings will differ. You can usually find it under something like “Connection alerts” or “New device alerts.”
The new device alert is indeed the one I’d enable first, because it gives you the simplest possible warning that something has changed. Most homes have enough connected devices that it’s easy to miss one more joining the network. That’s a problem.
If a device joins and you recognize it, awesome, nothing to do about it. If you don’t, that alert gives you a reason to check your guest network, change your Wi-Fi password, and investigate further.
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10,000-square feet
While far from cheap, the Netgear Orbi 970 is everything you could want from a Wi-Fi 7 mesh system. Netgear’s Nighthawk/Orbi app gives new device joined alerts without a subscription.
Known-device alerts are useful for the devices that matter the most
Some devices shouldn’t just quietly disappear
New device alerts tell you when something sneaks into your network, but known-device alerts tell you when something important drops off of it. That’s important, too.
This is most useful for the devices you actually rely on, such as a NAS, home server, security camera, smart home hub, work PC, or what have you. TP-Link Deco routers, for instance, let you set up known-device alerts so you can be notified when certain devices go online or offline.
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Threat and infected-device alerts are the ones you hope never appear
Let your router flag suspicious behavior
This is where router alerts become extremely useful.
Some routers and mesh systems can warn you about suspicious network behavior, blocked threats, infected device detections, or vulnerability issues. However, this is where the paywalls and brand differences really start to matter, as many routers don’t offer these alerts by default.
Some brands give you more advanced protection features and alerts if you pay a monthly subscription. These alerts won’t replace antivirus software or common sense, but they’re still worth enabling if you have them.
Firmware, vulnerability, and account alerts are easy to ignore but worth enabling
If you can enable them, you probably should
Firmware and account alerts may not sound as urgent as a strange device joining your network, but they’re still worth turning on wherever they’re available.
Routers are easy to forget about once they work, which is exactly how they end up running outdated firmware for months or years. Some router security suites can warn you about available firmware updates, failed security checks, or vulnerability scan results, while other account alerts can tell you when someone logs into the account tied to your router app.
Netgear Armor, for example, includes more advanced security notifications for supported routers, while Asus AiProtection has a router security assessment feature.
Blocked site and parental control alerts can double as security warnings
A blocked click can tell you a lot
Blocked site alerts are often presented as a parental control feature, but they can be useful even if you’re not trying to keep tabs on anyone else’s browsing habits.
If your router or security suite can tell you when a device tries to reach a blocked, suspicious, or malicious site, that gives you another clue about what is happening on your network. One bad click might not mean much, especially if someone landed on a sketchy ad. But repeated alerts from the same device are definitely worth a closer look.
What to do if your router doesn’t have these alerts
OpenWrt can help, but it’s not that simple
If your router doesn’t have these alerts built in, don’t assume you’ve missed some hidden setting. A lot of older routers, ISP gateways, and cheaper models just don’t offer this kind of notification system, at least not in a user-friendly way. It’s still worth checking the router’s mobile app, the web interface, and the firmware update page, but if all you can find is a connected device list and a basic log, that might just be as far as your router goes.
Aftermarket firmware like OpenWrt can help on supported routers, although it’s a more hands-on solution. It doesn’t usually give you a polished “new device alert” toggle like a proprietary app might. Instead, you can set up monitoring with things like DHCP hotplug scripts, system logs, email alerts, or webhook services that notify you when a new device gets an address. That’s useful, but it’s a lot more work.
If this is available, it’s always worth using
Router alerts won’t secure your network all by themselves, but they’ll help you keep tabs on what’s happening to it without actively monitoring it by yourself. It’s always worth checking whether any of these are available on your device.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
