SSID Broadcasting - Ending The Misconception
Posted on June 17, 2008
Today I received a question from a reader who asks; "I have 3 computers within my WLAN, should SSID broadcasting be enabled or disabled?" That's an excellent question and one that is often very misleading. Let me start by stating a simple fact. Disabling your Secure set identifier does not hide your network.
This is a common misconception that goes hand in hand with MAC address filtering which is also useless in deterring a hacker. Let me explain a little here. SSID brodcasting was never meant to be hidden. Its purpose is to essentially distinguish one network from another. When you disable your secure set identifier from broadcasting, technically all you are doing is hiding your WLAN beaconing on the Access Point. In other words, you are preventing the average person from seeing your WLAN. But there are 4 other protocols that also broadcast your network name, Probe requests; probe responses, association requests, and re-association requests.
So unless you have absolutely no activity on your network, which is highly unlikely, then it is impossible to hide your SSID. A hacker can easily find your hidden network within minutes. You may be asking yourself, okay so disabling broadcasting does not hide my network but in most cases it prevents my neighbor from stealing my Internet, so what does it hurt? Well that's what encryption is for. WPA and WPA2 prevent unauthorized access to your WLAN, thus preventing loss of data and bandwidth, so use encryption. If possible do not use WEP encryption. All that does is deter a hacker for 10 minutes or so. What does it hurt? Well, a hidden SSID can make wireless LANs less user friendly, it also forces your wireless devices to probe for your network, as well as cause some network devices from connecting at all. Another downside to cloaking your network is that it prevents others from knowing what channel your network is using.
If many computers use the same channel then network performance could suffer from Co-channel interference or CCI, which is interferance between radio transmisions. To summarize, I would personally leave SSID broadcast on. If a hacker is within range of your network chances are he will find your Access point regardless if your network name is broadcasting or not. It will also make your life easier if you need to allow another computer access to your network. I hope this article clears up any misunderstandings you may have had regarding SSID broadcast.
Have a Tech question you want answers to? Computers at a Glance will answer your questions within 24 hours!
If you have a subject you want to see coverd in the next article? Click here and submit your topic today!
News From Another Dimension - Part I
In a surprise move by Congress, more changes are on the way in how consumers will receive their favorite broadcast television programs in the near fut...
How To Be Funny: 20 Tips and Ideas
How can one be funny? Is there a science to it? After lots of observation and studying humor devices, I've found that there are many common ways to ...
How Hypnosis is Portrayed the Media
Ignorance breadswell, more ignorance.When you see a hypnotist portrayed in a movie, the script was presumably not written by a professional hypnotist,...
Homeschoolers and Public School Teachers - We Really Can Be Friends
I think that there often can be a misconception that homeschooling parents and public school teachers cannot get along.I have been a public school tea...
Being Hypnotized
Being placed under hypnosis has been described as being placed in a trance or dream like state; this is achieved by tricking the mind into suppressing...
Hypnosis - Healing A Broken Relationship
Hypnosis for Healing Broken RelationshipsAre you still holding onto a relationship that has ended?Do you feel anger and resentment towards someone who...
Does Hypnosis Actually Work?
Being put under hypnosis has been depicted as being positioned in a trance or daydream like state; this is accomplished by pulling a fast one on the b...
Business Boosting With Blogs
Would you like to have a marketing tool that can save your business thousands of dollars? And with just one click it provides exceptional business op...
Debt Consolidation Student Loans - Shatter Your Debt And Achieve Financial Freedom Now
So youre looking for debt consolidation for your student loan? Actually, these are not very hard to obtain.
Debt consolidation can often times take a...
Spyware - Are You Safe Online?
Arguably one of the greatest inventions the world has ever known. The internet has opened up the business world; it allows people to communicate acros...
Make Sure You Consider Different Car Loans Before Choosing
There are many different types of borrowing out there when you start to look into ways of financing to buy a new car. With this in mind you have to co...
Should You Use Homeschooling Programs?
Parents are finding that homeschooling is becoming a more popular choice day after day. Every year there is a growth of about 7 - 15% of parents wh...
Use Electronic Reverse Auctions to Promote "Green" Business Processes
Most public and private entities today are trying to promote Green processes as a way of doing business to help the environment or are touting their g...
The Dangers Of Leaving Your Wireless Network Unsecured
If you were to browse for wireless networks in a busy city you would be surprised at how many unsecured networks you will find, many people are obliv...
5 Simple Effective Ways to Get Rid of Popups on Your Computer
In this article I will be discussing how to get rid of popups easily on your computer.Using my PC is usually a productive, fun and efficient way to co...
» Filed Under
Network Security Information