Some Wi-fi networks are hidden for different reasons, it can be to prevent hackers or to be in secret but which ever reason, you can still access a hidden Wi-Fi network but may not be easy since you must first need to know the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the hidden network and a password to gain access (if it is not an open network).
Take note that a hidden Wi-Fi network and an open Wi-Fi network are two different things – a hidden Wi-Fi network means the SSID is not visible i.e it cannot be seen when you search for available Wi-Fi networks and an open Wi-Fi network means it is not passworded i.e anyone can connect to it without a password. An open Wi-Fi network is popularly called Free Wi-Fi.
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The question now is how can one connect to a free Wi-Fi network? It’s simple, you’ll learn that in this article. With the few steps I’m about to list, you should be able to connect to a hidden Wi-Fi network but ensure you have the SSID of the network (without it, you can’t connect) and the password (if needed). Follow me:
Step 1: Go to PC Settings (click on the windows icon at the bottom left of the taskbar or press the Windows key on your keyboard).
Step 2: Click on Network & Internet and on the right side of the page, select Dial-up.
Step 3: Click on Set up a new connection.
Step 4: On the dialogue box that opens, select Manually connect to a wireless network and click on Next.
Step 5: This is where you’ll enter the details of the network. The Network name is the SSID which you should already have and ensure you type it correctly because missing a single letter will not get you connected. Select the security type – if it’s not passworded, select no authentication but if it is passworded, select the security type (Wi-Fi networks with a password are usually WPA2-Personal) and enter the password. Tick the two boxes at the bottom of the page and click on next.
You’ve successfully created a Profile for a hidden network and will automatically get connected when the Wi-Fi network is active.
This tutorial is a step by step guide for Windows 10, for other versions of Windows like 7, 8 & 8.1, the steps are similar only you will have to get to your Wireless settings in a different way. Right click on the network connection icon at the bottom right of the taskbar and select open network and sharing center.
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