Wi-Fi wireless networks are the most used form of Internet connection around the world, thanks to WiFi networks we can connect with our computers, smartphones, tablets and other types of devices without the need to wire anything. In domestic environments, the use of Wi-Fi clearly exceeds that of cable, due to its ease of use, versatility and the fact that many of our devices need this type of wireless connection. Today we are going to explain how to hide the WiFi network of the router so that it does not broadcast the network name or SSID, this is something that all routers allow, we will also explain why doing this does not improve the security of your wireless network.
Routers usually have a WiFi network name (also known as SSID) assigned by default, in this way, we can connect easily and quickly to the SSID that we have on the sticker that we have under the router, or in the installation guide speed of the router in question. To connect to a WiFi wireless network we need both the SSID (WiFi network name) and the access password.
The first thing you should do is change the WiFi network name to another , which does not relate us to us nor does it show information about the device or Internet provider, although in some cases it would be advisable to leave the default SSID to go “unnoticed”, that is what is known as “security by obscurity”. Of course, what you must do is change the router’s WPA2 or WPA3 password , this is something very important to improve the security of the WiFi wireless network.
How to hide Wi-Fi network
The routers allow us an option to hide the SSID or name of the WiFi network , in this way, it will not be available to others, they will not be able to “see” it in the list of wireless networks available to connect. With this functionality activated, we will have to enter the name of the WiFi network and also the password, it is not enough to just click on our WiFi network and enter the access code, we will have to enter both. Hiding the WiFi network of our router is quite simple, although the process may vary from one model to another, however, the process is very similar in all routers. Once you’ve done it on a router with a certain GUI, you can do it on any router.
The first thing we must do is access the WiFi router that we have, usually the IP address to access our router is 192.168.1.1, so we must put precisely this in our web browser to access: http://192.168.1.1. However, to make sure that this IP address is that of our router, our recommendation is that you open a cmd or command prompt in Windows, and put the following command: ipconfig
We should get something similar to this:
The default gateway is what we should put in the browser’s address bar.
Once we access the router, we will have to go to the Wi-Fi options. In some router models, this option to “hide the WiFi network” is only available in the advanced menu, we will have to look for it. When we are in this menu, we will have to go to the WiFi network name or SSID section, and very close to it we will see an option to “Hide SSID”, “Hide SSID”, “Hide Access Point” or similar options. Once we check this “Hide SSID” box, we will have to apply the changes made and restart the router. At this time we will already have our WiFi network name hidden, you need to remember the name of the SSID because you will have to enter it manually before connecting.
In ASUS routers this configuration option is in « Advanced Configuration / Wireless », in this menu we have to select which frequency band we are going to configure, and later in the «Hide SSID» section we click on «Yes» or « No” depending on what we want.
In routers from the manufacturer AVM, this menu is available in the ” Wi-Fi / Wireless Network ” section, just below the SSID or the two or three SSIDs (if you are separating the frequency bands into different SSIDs) we have the “ Allow to see the name of the wireless network ” option. If we disable this feature we will be hiding the SSID, if we leave it enabled it means that it is broadcasting the name of the WiFi network.
In the case of Movistar HGU routers, this configuration menu to hide the WiFi network name is also very easy to find. All you have to do is enter via the web at the address http://192.168.1.1, enter the administration password, and in the Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Plus section we have the configuration menu to “Hide WiFi name” to select “Yes” or “No”, after choosing the option we apply the changes. Remember to do this procedure for the two SSIDs that we have in the router, both WiFi and WiFi Plus.
As you can see, hiding the WiFi network name is really easy, however, is it safe to hide the SSID or is it useless? Next, we are going to explain in detail why it does not make sense to hide the name of the WiFi network.
Is it safe to hide the Wi-Fi name?
Although at first it might seem that this option provides us with very good security, because not only do we have to enter the password but also the WiFi network name or SSID, it really does not provide any security, it is a totally obsolete mechanism and there are ways to obtain and find out the SSID that we have “hidden” in our router. You could say that hiding the WiFi network name is a security measure for “obscurity”.
We currently have several programs for Windows and Linux operating systems to discover the name of hidden Wi-Fi networks, for example, the Acrylic Wi-Fi Professional program allows us to recover Wi-Fi network names really easily and quickly, since it does automatically. The only thing that an attacker, or ourselves, will need to find out the WiFi network, is to have a WiFi card that supports monitor mode and that two cases occur:
- A client is connected to the hidden network.
- A device asks if an SSID is available and this WiFi network is hidden.
WiFi routers and access points continuously send different frames (beacons) in 802.11 format that are interpreted by the devices to know if the WiFi network is available or not, in these frames is where we have the necessary information to retrieve the name of the Wi-Fi network. In the Wi-Fi standard, the management frames are sent without any type of encryption, so it is in these frames where we will find all the necessary information for it.
Not only do WiFi routers and APs advertise to the “media” to connect themselves, but also wireless clients such as laptops or smartphones that have previously connected to a WiFi wireless network will actively ask for remembered networks. . In this way, the clients will be continuously sending information to the medium to try to connect automatically.
If a WiFi network is configured as “Hidden”, when the WiFi AP or router announces the wireless network, in the management frame the network name will be empty, this indicates to the clients that there is a network but that the SSID is hidden, It is absolutely necessary to put the WiFi network name and password to be able to connect. However, if a client connects, the AP or WiFi router will confirm in clear text that the SSID is the one defined by the client, so if we have a WiFi card in monitor mode, we can capture the exchange of messages and get hold of it. SSID you are using.
