Hi everyone, I have a few questions about networking. 1) If we stop broadcasting the SSID of the wireless network, is that mean the wireless SIGNAL of the network is turned off, right? 2) Is the WAN port on the router is really different from the other ports on the router in term of the architecture design? OR it is just the same. Thank you very much for any helps.

Answer to question 1: Turning off SSID is a helpful tool to help so that your neighbor can't just use his wireless laptop to connect to your network. Keep in mind though that turning off the SSID doesn't add security to your network. Answer to question 2: The WAN light indicates that you are connected to the internet and traffic is coming and going.

Thank you for your quick reply brentmd22. So turning off the broadcasting of the SSID is really turning OFF the wireless signal. Even I know my SSID name, I still can't connect to my network, right?

Vien, No, it is not turning off the transmitter. It is simply turning off the "network name" from being broadcasted along with the signal. It will prevent most wireless "network finder" interfaces from seeing your network's name. If you turn off the SSID broadcast you can still connect to the wireless LAN, you just have to know the name. The WAN port is physically the same as your LAN ports. They are both RJ-45 female interfaces which look for an electrical and physical connection on Pins 1,2,3,6 of the cable. The difference between a WAN and a LAN port on a SOHO router resides in the logic and NAT features of the architecture. I hope this helps.

Thank you SmittyZ3M. Now, I am clear about that.