Windows® 7 Visual™ Quick Tips

10.10. Manually Connect to a Hidden Wi reless Network

If a nearby wireless network is not broadcasting its identity, you can still connect to that network by entering the connection settings manually.

Each wireless network has a network name — often called the Service Set Identifier, or SSID — that identifies the network to wireless devices and computers with wireless network cards. By default, most wireless networks broadcast the network name so that you can see the network and connect to it. However, some wireless networks disable network name broadcasting as a security precaution. The idea behind this is that if an unauthorized user cannot see the network, he or she cannot attempt to connect to it. (However, some devices can pick up the network ...