NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
User714
Jan 23, 2023Aspirant
Cannot permanently hide SSID for 5GHz and 6GHz bands on RAXE500 Nighthawk AX12
I've had a RAXE500 Nighthawk AX12 for several months now, purchased new direct from Netgear and have discovered that it does not seem to be able to permanently keep my SSID hidden for the 5GHz and 6G...
microchip8
Jan 23, 2023Master
Why do you want to hide the SSID? If it's for security, you're fooling yourself. Security by obscurity doesn't work. Hiding an SSID does not make you less discoverable.
User714
Jan 26, 2023Aspirant
Why provide a basic feature on a $500 router if it doesn't even work? I want my SSIDs to be hidden because it's a feature that I've used on my previous routers. When I change my SSIDs every so often, I don't want random people trying to connect to it.
- michaelkenwardJan 26, 2023Guru - Experienced User
User714 wrote:
When I change my SSIDs every so often, I don't want random people trying to connect to it.
microchip8 has already explained that that is a futile strategy. They'll find you anyway.
It might be more secure to reveal your SSID and set your security to a level that warns you when people try to connect to it.
After all, you can tell your router to block all new attempts to sign in.
I haven't checked lately, but what is the current advice from recognised security experts? (Not some junk posted on the Internet.)
In Armor, Netgear does have solutions for the terminally paranoid. You just have to pay for it. I don't.
Why provide a basic feature on a $500 router if it doesn't even work?
That is a very good point. Someone at Netgear should follow it up. But to do that they may need a bit more pinout from you than "it doesn't work".
For a start your claim that "Router has the latest firmware." is no help. The only way to conform that is to tell people the version number. Your idea of "the latest" can be wrong, depending on how you determined it. Check with Apps, for example, can get things horribly wrong.
- FURRYe38Jan 26, 2023Guru - Experienced User
Only way that random people could connect to your SSID name is if they the PW. IF you don't give this out, then you'll be fine.
User714 wrote:
Why provide a basic feature on a $500 router if it doesn't even work? I want my SSIDs to be hidden because it's a feature that I've used on my previous routers. When I change my SSIDs every so often, I don't want random people trying to connect to it.