If I change my SSID to hidden, do I have to go back and re-add all the devices currently on my wifi? Or are they OK, and I would only need to manually add devices going forward?
I am just generally trying to lock down my home network a little better. I also enabled the guest network on my router so guests can't inadvertently get into the HA system and mess it up. I have also set up a QR code to connect to my wifi rather than giving out a password, and they are booted after 72 hours.
Older devices (last decade ish) may have issues with a hidden SSID, but newer devices should be able to handle a hidden SSID as long as they currently know its value.
I’ve had my wifi hidden for many years and haven’t run into any issues with my 50+ wifi devices.
I think the oldest device on the wifi currently is 2017. Pretty much everything else is 2020 or later.
Hidden SSIDs do nothing to increase security. Anyone interested in seeing what SSIDs you have will be able to find them regardless. Hiding SSIDs only creates potential problems.
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Hummm mm.. I probably need to think about this some more.
I have some wifi led strip lights that use the Magic Home app and also have a Hubitat integration. If I hide my IOT ssid all of these lights lose connection and have to be re-paired to the wifi. If my
AP"S provision, sometimes they lose connection to the wifi and have to be re-paired. My other wifi devices don't have this issue. So maybe your answer depends on the devices you have.
Sometimes I think people overthink security too much. I've been a network engineer 30+ years and I watch some of the comments around here and honestly I think people go way overboard for nothing. As long as your firewall is sound and you're not running WAP, you're going to be fine. Isolating certain things on a VLAN is certainly helpful to an extent, especially if you're using cloud based devices. The big gap in security are browser habits (I include email in this) and people not paying attention to what they're doing, Being click happy, going to disreputable sites and downloading software they shouldn't. A good antivirus/antimalware is key. Paying attention is also key. Meh, hiding SSID isn't going to do a darn thing.
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The best way to secure your WiFi is to use 256 bit encryption along with a lengthy, complex password that you can easily remember, but others could never figure out.
To access your WiFi, someone would need to be within range...about 150-300 ft on the 2.4 GHz network which most HA devices use. The 5 gig network has greater data throughput, but lesser range. The faster network is ideal for devices that use a lot of data like laptops and tablets. Try to use Ethernet to connect desktop computers, streaming devices, etc. if they have that capability. You can always hide your 5g SSID and leave your 2.4g network visible to make it easier to connect HA devices.
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I agree with all of the above. Hiding an SSID to help “secure” it isn’t going to do much, and may even introduce problems for an older wifi device. Not worth it.
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If the router offers a guest network feature, it probably does make sense to implement that. Getting a better understanding of how you can tweak that might be a good first step.
If you’re able to understand VLANs and willing to go down that rabbit hole, there’s much more you could do I’m sure. But that requires a baseline understanding, or willingness to learn. And can be very prone to introducing problems for those of us that aren’t already experts in the area.
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Haha! It can introduce problems for those that are!!! LOL (Like F&*$, why isn't traffic going..... Diagnose for 3 hours and don't notice the 1 character mistake in your config)
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No, you don't have to do anything to devices already attached to that SSID. Hiding the SSID only changes what you do when you want to add a new device onto your WiFi network.
I used a hidden SSID for a long time (2002-2012?). I had no problem with most devices. However, as noted above, hiding your SSID doesn't measurably increase any security.
For the hidden SSID, when I set this up I had ONE IoT device that refused to connect once it was hidden, so I had to manually add that network to it by typing in the SSID and then it connected. Every other device just kept working. I did this recently but not for security as others pointed it out it does not help with that. I created a separate IoT SSID on 2,4Ghz just to separate those devices in my devices list on my router mainly. They are not isolated from the main network since there is cross talk between regular devices and IOT devices. The reason I hid the SSID was simply so that guests do not ask me what it is for!
I also did a Guest network as you have, and created a QR code for it, as well as a QR code for connecting to the Wifi-Direct on my printer. The guest network is isolated just to prevent anyone from getting into things they shouldn't. I thought about framing the QR code sheet and hanging it on the wall behind the basement stairs or in the bathroom or something...
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With the exception of a couple Shelly bulbs that aren't really in use and some Ecowitt stuff, all of my HA is zwave or zigbee. I don't have any wifi HA devices except those mentioned above.
That's a problem currently. There's only one data port in the house and it's not connected to anything.I am starting to looking what I woulds need to do to run cables to various areas of the house, but that project is a ways off currently. In the mean time most everything is on wifi.
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I found all my Amazon alexa devices stopped responding when I made my ssid hidden!
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Do you have coax (for cable)? When I ditched cable, I used the existing coax wiring with coax to ethernet adapters to move stuff from wifi to wired. Works like a champ.
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+1 for MoCA as an option to make use of existing coax wiring in homes wired for cable when they were built/last renovated.
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Agree. I had to use a MoCA for one TV where I could not get a Ethernet drop in. It’s only 100Mbit but it’s just one TV.
