It is very easy to connect to a broadcast wireless network but this is not the case for a hidden network. But not actually broadcasting the SSID or the service set identifier or the name of the network, the hidden network isn’t visible in list of all the available networks which you may be able to access on your computer. You will have to know about SSID and all the other security info before connecting. Below are a few steps for connecting to the hidden Wi-Fi network.
Step-1- Get details of hidden wireless network
Firstly, you should know everything about the connection as well as identification details of hidden wire-less networks which you wish to connect with. So just open the configuration page of your router and go to Wireless configuration menu. Write the values for Network ID or the SSID and the security fields. On the basis of the security that your wireless network possesses, you will have to write the values of another significant field as mentioned below:
For WEP security- takes down the value of WEP key field
For WPA-PSK, WPA-2PSK (AES) security- take down the value of Preshare key field
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Note- in case your wireless network does not have security enabled, you should just know value of Network ID or SSID field. 802.1X, WPA2 (AES) and WPA security is usually used in the enterprise networks and mostly the laptop is pre-configured for connecting to the corporate wireless networks. Once you have all these details, just move ahead.
Step- 2- Start Set up Wi-Fi network wizard
For doing this, you will have to open the network & sharing center:
Go to the Start Menu->Control panel-> Network & internet-> Network & sharing center
In the network & sharing center pane you will be able to see a lot of shortcuts. Click on “Set up new connection” option.
The “Set up a connection/network” wizard would start now. From list of all the options available, select manually connect to wireless network and click on the “Next” option.
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Complete all the details of wireless or Wi-Fi network
Now you need complete all fields shown on this window. The very first option will be Network name. Just type name of wireless network in it, that you wish to connect to that is equivalent to Network ID field from the wireless configuration menu of the router.
Next field which has to be completed is Security type which is used by the wireless network. This is always recommended for your safety in the internet security tips! Never forget to set up the Security type! On the basis of the security type used, just make the below mentioned selection:
For the WEP security -choose WEP.
WPA-PSK security – choose WPA-Personal.
and for the WPA2-PSK (AES) security – choose WPA2-Personal.
Get the details of your Wi-Fi network
While connecting to the broadcasting network the configuration of network is automatically done for you. All that you need to do is enter the password. While connecting to the hidden network you will have to collect all the information and then enter it manually. Before connecting, you will have to collect all the important information. Only then you will be able to connect to the network.
Just verify the configuration menu of your router that may be done typically by entering its IP Address in the address bar of your browser.
Choose the wireless setting option and take down of the network’s name as well as security type. In case your network employs WEP, just check WEP key. If you are using WPA2-PSK or WPA-PSK, take down the pre-shared key. In case you are not having any type of security, you would just need SSID.
In case you’re in some public environment, then it would be a good idea to first check the “Hidden characters” box. Also, you should remember to check other 2 boxes-
1. “Start the connection automatically” and,
2. “Connect even if the network isn’t broadcasting”.
These 2 options will allow you to automatically connect to hidden wireless networks. Once the data has been completed, just click on “Next”.
Once done, you will get a message that says that you’ve successfully added wireless network to the computer. In case you are not sure of the settings, you may click on the “Change connection settings” option and review all of them.
For more info, get this Savvy Solopreneur’s Guide to Networking.
Fighting the problems with wireless network
In case you’re having any troubles while connecting with the wireless network, check if all the correct steps you are following or not. Just pay attention to all the steps and then check if you’ve got them all right. Once you have done everything right but you still can’t connect, then you may go through the below articles:
Troubleshoot internet connections issues over the wireless network- this is a guide which helps the users to use the troubleshooting tools for fixing the problems with the connection to the wireless network
Troubleshooting wireless networks connection issues by yourself- this step to step chart with Q&A. Answering a few questions will take you to the root cause as well as its solution
Fixing troublesome wireless connection by removing their profiles- in case you have issues with the wireless networks that worked previously, it may happen that the profile may have got corrupted or changed in the meanwhile. This guide will help you in fixing the problems in these kinds of cases.
Easily back-up and import your wireless networks settings- this is also a very useful guest article- it makes it very easy to get a backup and for restoring the wireless settings on the computers.
Conclusion
As it is evident from the guide, connect to the hidden Wi-Fi network needs a little more work. However, by paying some attention and not skipping any of the above steps, you can do it quickly and easily. In case you have any of the useful tips for connecting to the hidden wireless network, you should not hesitate in leaving any comment. Follow the steps we recommended and you will have a successful connection to the hidden Wi-Fi network. If you’re not sure how to do anything, don’t explore alone! You can get all the tips and advice you need here, and of course the most important ones-your cyber security tips!