How do I hide our neighbor’s WiFi on my daughter’s computer

Question

I have a Nighthawk Router to manage the internet access allowed by my children’s devices. Our neighbor’s house is only 50’ away and my daughter has their WiFi password as she is good friends with their daughter. She is just switching to their network on her school issued/managed laptop (running Windows-11 Education) to access internet without restrictions.

I have asked if they have the ability to block her device at their router but they do not know how. Asking them to change their WiFi password feels like a big ask when their daughter can just share the password to my daughter again. I have forgotten the network (digging in deeper than just right clicking on it) but she easily found how to find it again).

Is there a way to fully hide or block this network so she cannot access it? I found a script to run but her school IT won’t run it on the computer because it could have a virus. Is there an “official” Microsoft way to do this. I don’t have admin controls of her school laptop, so I will need to get them on-board to assist with the solution. So far school IT has not been helpful.

Answer 1

Hi Kelly,

I understand you want to stop your daughter from switching to a neighbor’s WiFi.

Do you have any control through the school IT team or Microsoft Family Safety on her account?

Windows 11 does not provide a built in feature for standard users to block or hide specific WiFi networks. Network control at this level requires administrator access or device management. Since the laptop is school managed, the supported path is through the organization that controls the device. I would recommend to ask the school IT team to apply a policy using Microsoft Intune or Group Policy to restrict WiFi connections to approved networks only.

Answer 2

Please allow me to explain:

Your router shows all WiFi networks that are close enough for its antennas to detect. That doesn't mean you can actually connect to those networks ... you can only connect to a network if you know the network's password. The problem is, your daughter knows the password.

You can't prevent your router's antennas from detecting WiFi networks, just like you can't prevent your radio from playing stations that its antennas detect.

I don't know if it's possible to stop the neighbor's network from displaying in Windows, but that wouldn't matter anyway, because the network is out there and it can be identified by other means.

A router can block incoming traffic from IP addresses that you specify, but an IP address can be easily changed.

A router can also block the MAC address of your neighbor's router, but MAC addresses can be easily spoofed.

The real problem here is a parental control problem: password sharing. Nothing can stop someone who knows the password.

I wonder: Why does your daughter's friend know her network's password? Do your neighbors understand that someone who knows their network password can sign in to the router and essentially own it - make any changes to the network that they wish? That's dangerous.

Answer 3

There is no supported way in Windows to selectively hide or block a specific neighbor Wi‑Fi network on a managed, school‑owned laptop without administrator control of that device or of the neighbor’s router.

Key points based on the scenario described:

1. The school laptop is managed by the school’s IT department. Only they can:
   • Run scripts or commands to change wireless configuration.
   • Install or configure any filtering or security software.
   • Enforce Wi‑Fi connection policies (for example, only allowing school or home networks).
2. The neighbor’s Wi‑Fi is under the neighbor’s control. Only they can:
   • Change their Wi‑Fi password.
   • Block a specific device (by MAC address) on their router.
   • Change their Wi‑Fi security settings (for example, to a new password or different SSID).
3. Windows guidance focuses on securing Wi‑Fi, not on blocking third‑party networks from a client device:
   • Use strong, modern Wi‑Fi security such as WPA2 or WPA3 on the home router to protect the home network and its devices.
   • Avoid weak or legacy security types like WEP or mixed WPA/WPA2 modes.
   • Use a guest Wi‑Fi network for less‑trusted or non‑essential devices so that, if compromised, they cannot access sensitive devices.

Given those constraints, the only practical options are:

• Work with the school IT admins to:
  • Enforce device management policies that restrict which Wi‑Fi networks the school laptop can join.
  • Apply content filtering on the device itself (for example, through school management software) so that restrictions follow the device regardless of which Wi‑Fi it uses.
• Ask the neighbor (who controls their router) to:
  • Block the school laptop’s MAC address on their router, or
  • Change their Wi‑Fi password and not share it with the child, if they are willing.

Windows itself does not provide an “official” end‑user feature that will permanently hide or block a specific external Wi‑Fi network on a school‑managed device without administrator involvement.

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References:

• Setting up a wireless network in Windows
• Wi-Fi and your home layout
• Be safer over wireless connections