What action should a user take to prevent neighbors from discovering their wireless network?

Disabling SSID broadcast is a crucial step in preventing neighbors and unauthorized users from easily discovering a wireless network. When a router is configured to broadcast its SSID (Service Set Identifier), it advertises its availability to any device within range that is scanning for wireless networks. By disabling this feature, the network's name won't appear in the list of available networks on devices that are in range.

While users may still connect to the network if they know the SSID and have the correct credentials, the absence of the network name from visibility enhances privacy and makes it less noticeable to casual observers. This means that unauthorized users will find it more challenging to identify and connect to the network, effectively reducing the network's exposure.

On the other hand, changing the network name can help personalize the network; however, it does not prevent neighbors from discovering it if SSID broadcast is enabled. Increasing encryption strength, like using WPA3 over WPA2, improves security against unauthorized access but does not hide the network. Reducing wireless range would limit access to legit users as well, so it’s not a practical long-term solution for masking a network. Thus, disabling SSID broadcast directly addresses the concern about network discovery.