Router not letting me hide SSID

[Nathaniel Pysklo]

I have a Netgear WPN824v3, and am trying to set-up a hidden network. When I go to advanced settings I select to broadcast Wireless Radio and deselect Broadcast SSID, but when I click apply it deselects both. I have updated to the latest Firmware, did a factory reset, put a password on it and I still cannot get it to work. Any ideas?

 

[kanewolf]

Hiding your SSID usually doesn't improve your network security and can make connecting new devices more difficult. High security passwords, WPA2 are more useful security procedures. Hidden SSID or MAC filtering might thwart the most basic hackers, but won't provide security against a tech savvy user. BUT that may not be WHY you want a hidden SSID.....

 

[sewalk]

Some devices will not connect to an access point with a hidden SSID, even when you manually enter it. The reason that hiding the SSID and/or MAC does virtually nothing to enhance security is that these fields are often sent in the clear despite whatever other security you are using, allowing them to be easily determined and spoofed. These measures will deter only the most casual of snoopers.

The only likely reason that WPA2-PSK-AES isn't secure enough is that pass phrases are too short and easy to guess. Adopt better password and key practices and the chance that your network will be penetrated by an outside agent is virtually nil. If you're worried about users you've authorized sharing network credentials with others, get a router with firmware (DD-WRT) that allows you to create a VLAN and give it internet access but isolate it from your private LAN.

Half-assed security is no security at all.

 

[Nathaniel Pysklo]

Kanewolf- I don't really care about network security.
Sewalk- So having a WPA-PSK-AES doesn't matter?

So the problem with the router not being able to not broadcast is the router?

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

I haven't seen any firmware bug reports, so just throwing out ideas for you.

Did you try rebooting the router after applying the changes to see if the settings may have actually been saved? It seems strange that the router would disable the radio without it specifically being deselected.

Have you tried using a different web browser? Just a thought.

 

[Nathaniel Pysklo]

BuddhaSkoota- No luck with trying a different browser and restarting after setting were saved.

 

[sewalk]

Sewalk- So having a WPA-PSK-AES doesn't matter?

You didn't mention that you were using any other type of security.
More often than not, people who want to set up a network with a hidden SSID think it will provide a means of security. Considering the facts that there is a subset of devices that will not work properly with a hidden SSID and that discovering the existence and name of said network is so trivial means that it just doesn't serve any useful purpose.

 

[bill001g]

The reason it likely is not allowing you to disable the SSID is technically it is a violation of the 802.11 standard. The standard also says that clients that use WPA2 security are not allowed to connect to a SSID that is not broadcast. So if device enforce the standard they will not allow the wireless to work if you disable the SSID. So WHY it is doing it is likely that manufacture is strictly interpreting the standard.

As stated by others you gain no security by doing this and likely break other stuff that is also enforcing the standards.