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Learn how to Hide or Block Other Wi-Fi Networks on Windows in this article. If your area has more than one Wi-Fi network, you’ll see them all when you try to connect to your own. A list of networks you don’t need, especially ones that are secure and that you’ll never connect to, can quickly get messy and annoying to look at. Wi-Fi is used by a lot of people these days. There are a lot of Wi-Fi networks everywhere that overlap with each other. In the network flyout menu, Windows shows a list of all the Wi-Fi networks it can find. If you click the Network icon on the taskbar, the network flyout menu will open. Most of the time, this is a good thing because it makes it easy to connect to the network you want.
You can hide other Wi-Fi networks so that your computer doesn’t show them. After you hide these other wireless networks, you’ll be able to see the one (or few) you want. When you’re trying to connect to a wireless network, you may see more than one in the list. Because of this, you need to take some time to find the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to. You can hide Wi-Fi networks by hand to save time. If you do this, you will no longer be able to see your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks. What does it mean to hide a Wi-Fi network? It just means that when you connect to a wireless network, you can’t see the blocked network. We mentioned below are the steps how to Hide or Block Other Wi-Fi Networks on Windows.
Why Hide or Block Wi-Fi Networks?
- To improve security. Hiding your Wi-Fi network makes it less visible to others, which can make it more difficult for unauthorized users to connect to it. This can help to protect your network from hackers and other cyber threats.
- To reduce clutter. If you are in an area with a lot of Wi-Fi networks, hiding or blocking the ones that you don’t use can make it easier to find the networks that you do use. This can be especially helpful on devices with small screens, such as smartphones and tablets.
- To prevent interference. If you are having trouble connecting to your Wi-Fi network, hiding or blocking other networks can help to reduce interference. This can be helpful if you are in an area with a lot of overlapping Wi-Fi networks.
- To prevent unauthorized access. If you are using a public Wi-Fi network, hiding or blocking other networks can help to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your devices or data.
How to Hide or Block Other Wi-Fi Networks on Windows
- Type “Command Prompt” into Windows Search.
- Right-click the Command Prompt app, and then click “Run as administrator.“
- Take note of the full name of the network you want to hide or block.
- In the following command, enter the name of the Wi-Fi network in the SSID field:
- netsh wifi add filter permission=block ssid=”type the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to block here” networktype=”infrastructure”
- Put the command into the Command Prompt app by copying and pasting it, then pressing Enter.
- If you see “The filter is added to the system successfully,” the Wi-Fi network has been blocked and won’t show up in your list of Wi-Fi networks.
- Even though the steps above will block the Wi-Fi network, it will show up again if the owner changes the name of the Wi-Fi adapter.
Common Mistakes to Avoid Hide or Block Wi-Fi Networks
- Not disabling the Wi-Fi network before hiding or blocking it. If you don’t disable the Wi-Fi network, it will still be visible to other devices, even if it’s hidden or blocked.
- Not using the correct command or settings option. There are different commands and settings options for hiding and blocking Wi-Fi networks on Windows. Make sure you’re using the correct one for the task you want to perform.
- Not restarting your computer after hiding or blocking a Wi-Fi network. Sometimes, hiding or blocking a Wi-Fi network doesn’t take effect until you restart your computer.
- Trying to hide or block a Wi-Fi network that you’re currently connected to. You can’t hide or block a Wi-Fi network that you’re currently connected to. You need to disconnect from the network first.
- Not using a strong password for your Wi-Fi network. Even if you hide or block your Wi-Fi network, it’s still important to use a strong password to protect it from unauthorized access.
Questions and Answers
Wi-Fi signals can be weakened when they have to go through physical objects, like walls. Walls and furniture that get in the way of Wi-Fi are a common reason why it doesn’t work as well.
The WiFi Blocker app will change how you use WiFi and how you manage your home network. With WiFi Blocker, you can block access to the internet for a single device or a group of devices, find your WiFi passwords, see who is online, organize your network, and group devices into profiles for easy control.
Most modern routers keep a log of the devices that are connected, the timestamps of events, the bandwidth used, the URLs of visited websites, and IP addresses. Administrators of a network can see this information at any time through the back-end of the router’s management. People with Wi-Fi could also spy on you by using software like WireShark and OpenDNS to analyze your data.
WiFi interference can be caused by things like walls, doors, and even furniture. WiFi signals can’t travel very far through things like concrete, metal, and plaster. The solution is to put routers in places where they can give the best coverage.