Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using 'password' as my wifi name

I had a customer at my shop who pointed out my network was broadcasting my last name and model number of the router. Changed the SSID to something generic and turned off SSID broadcast after that, now I feel way less exposed.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wade10d ago

Turning off SSID broadcast is smart, but don't stop there. Anyone with a signal sniffer can still see your hidden network if they're close enough, so keep the password long and random. I'd also check your router's admin login and make sure that's not still "admin/admin" either.

charles_young9210d ago

Wait, is this actually worth the hassle for a home network? Hiding your SSID just makes your life harder too. Guests ask why they can't see your WiFi. You have to manually type in the name on every device. And the whole time, anyone who knows what they're doing can still find it with free software in under 30 seconds. Feels like a security blanket that doesn't actually cover anything. Better to just spend that energy on a strong password and keeping your router firmware updated. Most break-ins happen because of weak passwords, not because someone saw your network name. Hidden SSID is more hassle than help for most people.

diana_kim6610d ago

My daughter tried hiding her network SSID a few years ago, and it turned into a whole weekend project. She had to reconnect her smart TV, her printer, and even her thermostat because they all lost the network. A friend of hers down the street ended up telling her the exact hidden network name anyway after he drove by with his laptop. She finally turned SSID broadcast back on and just changed her WiFi password to something long with numbers and symbols. Sometimes the simple fixes work better than the complicated ones.