New hub in list?

I'm picking up a network..virginmediaxxxxxxx. Would that be the new hub perhaps?
If so, they need to tell people how not to broadcast their SSID. Is it set to broadcast by default?

In reply to a post by GeoffB:

I'm picking up a network..virginmediaxxxxxxx. Would that be the new hub perhaps?
If so, they need to tell people how not to broadcast their SSID. Is it set to broadcast by default?

Why not? It's not a security risk.

Most if not all ISP routers trasmit the SSID as default....

In reply to a post by GeoffB:

I'm picking up a network..virginmediaxxxxxxx. Would that be the new hub perhaps?

Unlikely if it's anything like mine - the wireless is so [censored] I doubt it gets outside.

> If so, they need to tell people how not to broadcast their SSID.

Why? There's no problem broadcasting SSID and hiding it just makes their network more annoying to access. I hope you're not about to cite the urban myth that hiding the SSID is helpful for security reasons, because it's not. That's about has helpful as covering up the number of your house with a post-it note if you're worried about people finding out where you live

So an unsecured network named Belkinxxx or similar which broadcasts the SSID is not a security risk? I agree that a network protected by a strong key is OK to broadcast. The default access codes for most routers are freely available though and how many users change them?

In reply to a post by GeoffB:

So an unsecured network named Belkinxxx or similar which broadcasts the SSID is not a security risk?

No, obviously an unsecured network is a security risk. We were saying that hiding the SSID (whether security is on or off) does nothing to help with security, as users can always just check the box which says "Show networks with no SSID" and just connect to them anyway. You do not need to know the SSID to connect to the network - it's just a label so you know which one is which. It's not part of any security system and all operating systems, mobile phones and hacking tools let you freely use networks where the SSID is hidden (on iPhones, a 3rd party app is required, but it's still easy).

In days gone by, the advice was that it was prudent to use an SSID that didn't identify your property, since it might suggest to a chummy that there was IT kit in the house, but nowadays there must be more houses with wi-fi than not, so burglars have plenty of choice anyway.

In reply to a post by hhmb:

In days gone by, the advice was that it was prudent to use an SSID that didn't identify your property, since it might suggest to a chummy that there was IT kit in the house, but nowadays there must be more houses with wi-fi than not, so burglars have plenty of choice anyway.

Yeah I'd still say that was sensible. The random SSID and passwords that are printed on the bottom of the box are usually the best ones to stick with. I don't know why people change them to something really obvious, but they do seem to. My neighbours password is just their surname! How stupid. Another neighbour's SSID is "Porn Pipe" which amused me