o might help to not confuse Aunty Flo next door when she looks at her 'wireless neighbourhood'
o erm, none
Cons:
o some client devices cannot access a node without visible ssid beacons
o if wpa type security is set up then the visibility of ssid is moot
o it doesn't matter that a 'script kiddie' would be stopped by it because they would be much better stopped anyway with a strong wpa key
o it doesn't matter that a 'determined hacker' can still see the ssid because they are stopped anyway with a strong wpa key
o hiding ssid beacons does not prevent the ssid from easily being discovered as soon as a client device exchanges keys
o it gives people a false sense of security because their router informs them that they are 'hidden' or 'cloaked' - sounds cool doesn't it, gotta have some of that!
It's akin to having a very strong vault door to protect against professional safe crackers, then hanging a curtain over it to fool average passers by into not realising it's there. If they know it's there it doesn't matter because they're not professional crackers, and if they're professional crackers they're not fooled by a curtain.
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Hiding ssid beacons
Pros:
o might help to not confuse Aunty Flo next door when she looks at her 'wireless neighbourhood'
o erm, none
Cons:
o some client devices cannot access a node without visible ssid beacons
o if wpa type security is set up then the visibility of ssid is moot
o it doesn't matter that a 'script kiddie' would be stopped by it because they would be much better stopped anyway with a strong wpa key
o it doesn't matter that a 'determined hacker' can still see the ssid because they are stopped anyway with a strong wpa key
o hiding ssid beacons does not prevent the ssid from easily being discovered as soon as a client device exchanges keys
o it gives people a false sense of security because their router informs them that they are 'hidden' or 'cloaked' - sounds cool doesn't it, gotta have some of that!
It's akin to having a very strong vault door to protect against professional safe crackers, then hanging a curtain over it to fool average passers by into not realising it's there. If they know it's there it doesn't matter because they're not professional crackers, and if they're professional crackers they're not fooled by a curtain.