Connecting to wifi with no password

Brendan

The Nanit app seems to require a wifi password. How do you connect to an open wifi that does not have a password?

If not now, when will this be supported?

NanitMackenzie

Hi @Brendan, thank you for posting! For privacy and security reasons, connecting your Nanit to an open network is not supported and is not something that we will be adding in the future. You can read more about WiFi networks that are not recommended or won't work with your Nanit here.

Additionally, here are some tips about getting connection when traveling with your Nanit from other Nanit parents that may be helpful to you!

Brendan

I understand that it may not be recommended but many homes decide to have an open wifi especially if they’re on a bigger lot and not worried about the security risk.

I’m sure there’s a way to add a layer of security between the app and the Nanit device that makes it hard to hack or view the Nanit on an open network. How do other network-based camera systems do it?

I’ve never seen a device that requires you to change your wifi setup to work… even Google Home / Nest works fine on open networks but recommends only networks you trust. Please reconsider.

JMLocsin

Not to mention the fact that many hotels — resorts in particular — don’t have a password on their WiFi networks. We’re at one now and won’t be able to leave the room while our daughter is sleeping.

NanitJessica

Hi @JMLocsin - Thanks for sharing your concern about this. A few tips that other Nanit users have used in the past when traveling:

• Use your phone as a hotspot for Nanit
• Some laptops can share the hotel's wifi as a hotspot with a password protection
• Use a travel router to broadcast the hotel's connection. You should be able to set up a travel router to have the same username and password as your home network to help Nanit connect more seamlessly
• Ask the hotel if they have a hidden network for guests with baby monitors that require password-protected wifi. Some hotels have this in place, otherwise, some may be able to create a password-required network if they don't have one set up already. There is always the possibility that others are connected to the hotel wifi network as well, so that choice is up to your discretion.

Hopefully one of these options will be a good alternative to using your phone's data plan. However, if you wish to use your camera in such a network, you can try following the steps in our article here (scroll down to the “captive network section”): Wi-Fi Networks that aren't recommended or won't work with Nanit.

Dima123

This seems extremely unfortunate. Does this mean that nanit does not use any application level encryption like TLS? And once the data is past the router it is completely unencrypted?

NanitJessica

Hi @Dima123,

We use AES-256 bit encryption, which protects your information and is the same encryption method that financial institutions use to safeguard user data.

Dima123

Thank you for your reply @NanitJessica . But if you use encryption why does WiFi encryption matter? AES-256 is good enough on it’s own right?

I’m just really confused by this design choice as it makes the user flow worse and doesn’t give any security benefits since there is underlying encryption in place.

NanitJessica

@Dima123,

I've created a ticket for you so the support team can assist you further with your question. They will reach out to you via email after they review your ticket.

np718

I'd love to know if this thread went anywhere. This is a common problem and the solutions proposed by Nanit are infeasible (e.g., you can't host a WiFi network from your laptop when your laptop itself is connected to WiFi, hotels don't have ethernet lines anymore, and even if they did what laptop still has an ethernet port?) or impractical (e.g., buying a travel router, hotspotting from your phone given that you want to keep your phone with you). In the point about how the hotel may have a hidden network that's password protected there's a bit about choosing to connect to that "being up to your discretion" - in that case, why not let me use my discretion to connect to a network with no password?

I don't really get why Nanit does things like sell travel accessory kits or position the Nanit as a travel-friendly device when you are almost certain to run into this problem. My best option appears to be to buy a separate device to use for traveling, which is annoying.

NanitJessica

Hi @np718,

Thanks for posting here. NanitMackenzie mentioned above the reason why we don't allow Nanit to connect to a network with no password:

For privacy and security reasons, connecting your Nanit to an open network is not supported and is not something that we will be adding in the future. You can read more about WiFi networks that are not recommended or won't work with your Nanit here.

I also have mentioned above some tips you can try doing when traveling such as using your phone as a hotspot, using a travel router to broadcast the hotel's connection, or asking the hotel if they have a hidden network for guests with baby monitors that required a password-protected WiFi - there are some hotels that have this in place.