There are better and worse ways to build the UI around this information, but to say it should be completely hidden from / impossible for the end user to find, i

There are better and worse ways to build the UI around this information, but to say it should be completely hidden from / impossible for the end user to find, is just outright hostile to the user. Do you think people would be happy if the wifi status icon just became a boolean "on/off"? Of course not. They are able to make differential decisions in light of the (limited) information presented. Empower users with information!