My neighbor’s take great pleasure in offensive and not family friendly WiFi names that they force everyone to see. Is there any way to make these words disappear from my computers? Nobody would put up a sign in their fron yard with these words written for all the neighborhood children to see. Why am I forced to look at them on my computer screen?
MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS High Sierra (10.13.2), Thunderbolt display, iPhone 6S
Due to the way Wi-Fi works, it broadcasts its network name or SSID. Your wireless devices "see" these as a means for you to make a choice when connecting. The only way to hide these names is for the owner of the "offending" router to configure their router not to broadcast them. Even that is not 100% effective.
This isn't an issue just for Apple, it would require an effort from the entire Wi-Fi community to get involved. A solution may not be that simple ... and, enforcement, even more difficult ... if even possible.
We live in interesting times.
Without more details it is difficult to suggest one effective solution so I’ll start the ball rolling with a few random thoughts. It will also depend whether you know exactly who is responsible
At all costs avoid confrontation which becomes hostile, and don’t be tempted to setup a spare hotspot to retaliate in kind unless you can prove they really are illegal immigrants, pedophiles, terrorists, drug dealers, etc.
I prefer to just make the words not appear on my home computers so as to not desensitize impressionable eyes. The person doing this is an adult who would like nothing better than a visible feud with a neighbor, and is probably trolling. Exactly why I and others are forced to look at these objectionable words is a question Apple should answer to.
If a neighbor's WiFi is transmitting orders to perform a sexual act on him, how is that different from him yelling it out the window? Are there any laws that address this problem? And I don't mean laws about common decency, I live in New Mexico where it's already halfway to the third world. If I were to complain to the police that I and my family is being sexually harassed by a neighbor when I look at the WiFi list, would I even have a legal case?
If I were to complain to the police that I and my family is being sexually harassed by a neighbor when I look at the WiFi list, would I even have a legal case?
That is probably a question for a lawyer who specializes in broadcast regulations.
In the meantime, call the police and have them come out to complete a report.....or, worst case, tell you there is nothing they can do.
If you have a case, be prepared for a feud that you were trying to avoid with the neighbor, since you will likely have to file a formal complaint and press charges to proceed.
In any case, Apple is not involved here, so there is really no reason to continue this discussion on a forum for technical problems with an Apple wireless router.
Good luck.
Then, you might want to provide feedback to Apple about this. However, they are not known for listening.
This is a police matter.
Offensive WiFi SSIDs
