How is the number of wireless clients determined for some routers?

MetaGeek Products inSSIDer
1

So, it may have been there for a long time, but I only recently noticed it. Inssider (free, ver 5.5) shows the number of clients on SOME routers, including mine. It shows for some of my neighbors’ routers too, but the majority of them simply have a “-” (aka not available).

I read the manual, and it’s quite vague on where this number comes from. It just says it’s available from certain manufacturers, like Asus (my brand).

My goal, if at all possible, is to shut off access to this number for anybody looking at the spectrum. I don’t want neighbors seeing how many wireless clients are attached to my router. Is this is a setting in Asus, that can be disabled? Or, is it something that Asus and some other manufacturers broadcast and can’t be turned off? Or, is it something the software is calculating based on traffic to/from certain brands of routers?

Basically, is there any way to hide this information from strangers seeing it, with a tool like Inssider.

I’ve spent many hours trying to find an answer to this question, but I simply can’t find anything on the web. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!

2

Hi MetaGeekUser101,

From my understanding, inSSIDer obtains client count if the information is sent in the QBSS element. Not all routers do this but some (like ASUS) do. I don’t believe there is a way to obfuscate this but I am not familiar with ASUS products / interfaces.

I hope this helps.

3

The number of wireless clients that a router can support is determined by various factors, including the router’s hardware capabilities and the network protocols it supports.

The hardware specifications of the router play a significant role in determining the number of wireless clients it can support. The processing power (CPU), memory (RAM), and wireless chipset of the router influence its ability to handle multiple client connections simultaneously. Routers with more powerful hardware can typically handle a larger number of wireless clients.