Hidden WI-Fi

[#1]

@idonno I see your point that if the hidden zone moves with the channel, so, when I move channels, it moves with it, so it must be linked 

So both must come from a local device/s in my domain area

My strategy :- I've just downloaded some Wi-Fi analytical software for a tablet PC and I have managed to isolate the  "hidden" signal as the main signal.

Now I need to check if  the "hidden" signal is weak or strong in every corner of my location 

When it gets strong, I will slowly turn off anything, one item at a time, and when I kill the "hidden" signal, I've found the problem so watch this space 🙂

[#2]

@Leapy 

I had a similar problem of a transmission that followed my router. In my case it transmitted the MAC address as the SSID. This turned out to be my PV inverter.  So that a service engineer can access it without me being present it operates as an Access Point as far as an engineer can access it with the Inverter SSID and password and so doesn't need to know my router wireless password.

Do you have any such device?

[#3]

@Baldrick1  I don't have a PV inverter, but if I ever get one, I will keep that in mind

I have just been all over the place, up down, north, east, south and west, and have found areas where the hidden signal is weak and strong, so it is clearly coming from a known area and I'm getting warm

[#4]

Have you done the obvious and turned off the Wireless on your router to see if the signal goes away? If it does then I'd say it's one of two things, a WiFi Repeater or as I asked before a Hotspot.

[#5]

@Anonymous Yes I did turn off the signal and the PN Wi-Fi went and that was shortly followed by the hidden Wi-Fi signal!  so, I presume they are linked, and some how, the hidden signal, follows the PN Wi-Fi signal. but why are where is the current challenge 

[#6]

One way to do this would be to unplug everything (including any ethernet over mains wiring devices) except the router & check that the big signal has vanished.

If it hasn't vanished then it comes from a battery operated device.

Switch on devices one by one until it comes back.

[#7]

OK @Leapy, this tell me that the 'hidden' network is not emanating from the PN Router, but we knew that anyway, as they would both be off at the same time. So this leaves us with a Repeater or Hotspot.

The next question to answer is what hardware do you have in the house that is connected to the LAN that might do this. As @VileReynard points out unplugging everything, although tedious, is probably the best place to start.

I know you said you don't have any but I'm fairly sure this is a Hotspot generated by a device such as an AppleTV, ChromeCast, FireTV or some other such device.

[#8 · Accepted solution]

Found it and killed it (as screen shot shows). 

It's been a great learning curve for me and thanks for all your suggestions.

It was an amplified TV Ariel and moving it away from a laptop using Wi-Fi and on to a suppressed power outlet has fixed the problem 🙂 

Can you tell when I cut the power to the TV areial that was my hidden Wi-Fi 🙂