Hide WiFi - making it more difficult for unauthorized persons to gain access

If you want to increase the security of your WiFi network, you can hide it. We will explain how it works and whether it makes sense at all.

Hide WiFi - does that make sense?

• A hidden WiFi network primarily protects your privacy. Your neighbors will therefore not see the name of your network, nor that you have one at all.
• However, hiding does not contribute much to the security of your WLAN network. With the appropriate tools, professionals can also find invisible WLAN networks.
• To protect the network, you should rather use a secure password. The password should contain at least 16 characters, a pure combination of 16 numbers is already considered secure. If you include letters, the attacker will not be able to access it.
• Tip: With some routers you can alternatively reduce the transmission power. This will reduce the range of your wireless network. So your WLAN can only be received in your apartment and no longer on the street or even in the neighboring house.
• If you still want to hide your WiFi network, follow the instructions in the next paragraph. Note: Give your radio network a new name beforehand. For example, if the name is preset and is "FritzBox 7340", the name will be guessed quickly.

Hide WiFi - how it works

If you hide your WLAN, you can only access the Internet from other devices using the network name. If smartphones and laptops have already been connected to the router, the connection continues. However, some older devices have problems with invisible networks.

1. First open the router's user interface. Use the IP addresses "192.168.1.1" or "192.168.2.1", for example.
2. Log in to the router and switch to the "WLAN" category.
3. In the FritzBox you will now find the option "Name of the WLAN radio network visible". For other routers you have to choose "Hide SSID" or similar options.
4. Activate or deactivate the desired options and confirm the process with buttons such as "OK", "Save" or "Apply".