Disappointed - cannot change WIFI SSID or hide it

[JoeMama777]

What a surprise to find that I cannot hide or change the ARLO SSID advertisement on my new Arlo Pro 4 XL.

After looking through the community posts, I found that I am not alone in wanting this feature existed.  Several years of this request....but ARLO refuses to make this a feature?   And they want me to buy a "Smart" plan?  haha

Most people get this. It is not a security thing. It is an ADVERTISEMENT THING! 

Incognito is preferable. Surveillance just in case, rather than "HEY EVERYONE. CHECK OUT MY NEW ARLO SYSTEM. SAME ONE FROM COSTO. I'm watching you".

Lesser battery life with hidden SSID's? This is an ARLO engineer issue. Once the devices are connected to the BASE, the battery life should not be affected. It is another excuse imo.

I believe that the true reason for not allowing this feature - is so that it is easier for Arlo support to help get people setup. It is not for any true technical issue...and tarnishes the idea of PRO system.

Really bummed about this. Probably taking this package back to Costco.

Me? I am a Network Engineer. Regularly install wifi systems for businesses. Sometimes it is good to remove the clutter and HIDE or OBSCURE the purpose of a network - if the public does not need access to it.

Will do a review/report after my experience in the next couple of weeks, and then post to youtube or reddit.

[Killhippie]

Hi, Im a Cisco Network Engineer, now you should know that anyone can find your SSID with a simple tool like wireshark and hiding your SSID does not make your network more secure at all that's a myth which you should know from your training, I mean port scans know you are there by your firewall not responding as its in stealth mode ironically, also hiding your SSID makes it harder for devices to connect.

 The SSID being broadcast helps the router connect and thats it, hiding it wont help your security at all. I take it you have connected the camera to your router not a base station? If so to protect your network you should have Protected Management Frames turned on as I have as I imagine you use a decent router, this stops someone using a WiFi killer (Deauther) on 2.4Ghz which would knock your wifi down completely and they are ten a penny on ebay for about £20.

 The best protection is to have a strong password of at least 8 digits including a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. I use a 63 digit ASCII and  which gives maximum encryption and great entropy and I'm set to WPA2 AES /WPA3 as I have devices that use both. A strong password is the key to a strong network, and making sure firmware is up to date on all devices. You could even use a DNS firewall as well like NextDNS it has plenty of privacy options security features as well as adblocking your whole home. I'm sure though as a network engineer you know this already.

[JoeMama777]

Thank you Killhippie for the quick response.  Unfortunately, the answer does not really relate to the concern.  More than one person has said in this community that it is not about absolute security....it is about unwanted SSID advertisement and clutter.   No one is doubting ARLO's security.    Not a technical issue.  It is a feature issue.  Incognito would be a nice-to-have for Arlo.

I wear many hats in networking.  😉

CCIE 48xxx  

[JoeMama777]

I forgot to mention that this is with an Arlo "Smart Hub".

[StephenB]

---

@JoeMama777 wrote:

Incognito would be a nice-to-have for Arlo.

---

Or perhaps just taking the Arlo name out of the SSID.  But I think "nice-to-have" is the key word.  Not essential, since anyone who knows how can find the SSID even if it is "hidden".

Personally I think there are lots of other issues they need to fix before this one gets to the top of the list.