How to connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network on your computer and phone
After you finish setting up the router for the first time , the wireless network (Wi-Fi) is visible to all nearby devices and can be connected to it just by knowing the password. However, being visible makes the network vulnerable to hacking attempts by hackers, as one of them connects to the network without your knowledge.
Therefore, some people hide the wireless network and make it invisible to nearby devices, as most routers allow this. But the question here is, how can you connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network? Well, it's not difficult at all, all you have to do is find out information about the network and enter it manually. For example, the network name (SSID), Wi-Fi password , and the type of encryption used.
You can find all this information from the owner of the Wi-Fi network or directly from the router if you have access to the router’s control panel . But before trying to connect, make sure that you are within the range of the hidden wireless network. Now let’s show you the ways to connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network on your computer and phone.
First: Connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network on computers
The first way to connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network on your computer if you are using Windows 10 is through the list of available networks that appears after clicking on the mini Wi-Fi icon from the taskbar at the bottom. In this list you will find all the nearby Wi-Fi networks, whether visible or hidden, except that hidden networks will appear at the bottom of the list with the name "Hidden Network".
Now click on this network and then put a check mark next to the option "Connect automatically" and then click Connect. After that, you will be asked to enter the name of the hidden wireless network, do that and click Next. And when you are asked to enter the password for the hidden network, type it and click Next.
Windows 10 will take a few seconds to check that the information matches to connect to the hidden Wi-Fi network. If everything is fine and there is no incorrect information, your Internet connection on this device will become via an invisible wireless network.
Read also: The 4 best ways to make your computer receive Wi-Fi
The Settings app in Windows 10 also provides us with another way to connect to hidden wireless networks. The first step is to open the app through the Start menu or by pressing the Win + i keys together on the keyboard, then in the Settings window go to the "Network & Internet" section and click on the "Wi-Fi" page from the left side menu.
Next, click on the "Manage known networks" option on the right side and then click on Add a new network. In the pop-up window that will appear, type the name of the hidden network in the "Network name" field, then in the Security field, select the type of encryption used, whether WPA or WPA2. When the "Security key" field appears, enter the password for the network.
You may be interested in: The difference between the types of Wi-Fi encryption Wep, Wpa, Wpa-2, Wpa-3 and what should you choose?
You can also enable the “Connect automatically” option to connect to the hidden network automatically later. After you have finished entering all the required information, click the “Save” button and once the new wireless network is saved, Windows will try to connect to it automatically.
If you can't find the options described in the first two methods, it's probably because you're using an old version of Windows 10 or an old version of Windows in general. But you can still connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network on these versions, all you have to do at first is press the Win + R keys at the same time on your keyboard to open the Run window where you enter the following command:
control.exe /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter
After entering this command, press Enter to open the Internet connection control window. From there, click on "Set up a new connection or network" until the "Set Up a Connection or Network" window appears. Choose "Manually connect to a wireless network" from it, then click on the Next button.
Now you will start to see fields to enter your Wi-Fi connection information, where in the Network name field you write the name of the network, then select the encryption type from the Security type list, then write the password in the Security key field. You can also enable automatic connection to the network on this device by placing a check mark next to "Start this connection automatically" and after finishing press the "Next" button, after which a message will appear stating that the connection to the hidden network was completed successfully, so press the Close button and you will be ready to browse the Internet through this hidden network.
Second: Connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network on your smartphone
Now we come to Android smartphones . If you are aware of a hidden wireless network near you and want to connect to it, you will not need to install external applications. Rather, there are only a few steps that you will need to take before connecting to this network without any problems.
These steps start by going to the Settings app, then to the Connections section, then clicking on Wi-Fi and activating it. When it starts searching for nearby wireless networks, click on the Add network option. Now you will see the hidden network information entry fields, so you first enter the network name, then select the encryption type from the Security menu, then write the Wi-Fi password .
You can enable the “Auto reconnect” option so you don’t have to enter this information every time you want to connect to the hidden network. Once you’re done, click the Save button and the hidden wireless network will be connected immediately as long as the information is correct.