The full form of SSID is Service Set Identifier. Any WLAN that uses 802.11 is identified by its Service Set Identifier (SSID). Clients can also use it to locate and join to a specific Wireless Network. It is the SSID we see while attempting to join your device (phone/computer) to a wireless network, to put it simply. The SSIDs that are available while looking for available networks to connect to are displayed in the screenshot below. The string can be 32 characters long, case-sensitive, and contain any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, punctuation marks, and blank spaces.
Types of SSID
Table of Contents
- Hidden – Not all clients will be able to see the SSID. The only user who can connect to that wireless network is one who is aware of the precise SSID.
- Broadcasted – The SSID is transmitted via the internet. Anyone can look up and connect to that network.
Characteristics
- A network can be distinguished from other networks using its SSID.
- An SSID may be broadcast in the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency bands.
- Each SSID can be secured differently using open, WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.
- Users may be able to connect to the Internet via a Guest SSID, but not to other local hardware or resources like an intranet.
- An SSID and a Virtual LAN (VLAN) can both be used to divide traffic, offer various features, or set different access levels.
Interesting Facts
- These SSIDs have a length range of 0 to 32 octets (32 bytes).
- A group of wireless networking devices is referred to as a “service set” under the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard.
- You must access your router’s settings in order to modify the SSID on a network you manage.
- Avoid setting up a covert Wi-Fi network since it is less secure.
- Up to 32 characters can be used in an SSID.
- The Wi-Fi router or other base station broadcasts its SSID, enabling close-by devices to show a list of accessible networks with names that are human-readable.
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For more information, keep reading various short forms in our general knowledge section!