SSID network: what is it, and why do you need this parameter?

With the advent of wireless technologies to create and connect to virtual networks, many users are confronted with the concept of SSID network. This is what it is, not everyone knows. Meanwhile, there is nothing complicated in understanding this term. Below it will be considered what is the SSID of the WiFi network, and also shows how you can learn this parameter and make it change.

SSID-network: what is this?

So, from the point of view of computer technologies, each wireless network should be determined when trying to connect in some simple way. For this purpose, the concept of the SSID parameter of the network was introduced. What is that? In the broadest sense, the SSID is a unique network identifier that distinguishes it from everyone else, in other words, the name or name of the VPN.

Thus, when trying to find a network and connect to it, the user does not need to dig into any digital data or to determine the possible access point. It is enough to know the network name (SSID) and the password for accessing it.

What is the WiFi network SSID and how to change this parameter

Usually the value of the network identifier (name) is set initially when creating a wireless connection. The basic settings are made on the router (router). By default, this can be the model number or brand of equipment, however, for the convenience of defining the network, you specify your own name.

This is done in the settings section of the router, which is responsible for the wireless connection. To set a name or change it, it is enough to find an item like Wireless Network Name or SSID, where the desired name is indicated. If the user wants to avoid security problems, it is better not to use some personal data for this parameter, which can attract unnecessary attention.

View available networks

Now let's see how to learn the SSID of the network. For this, when the Wi-Fi adapter is turned on, you should pay attention to the wireless connection icon in the system tray.

Left-clicking on it causes a pop-up window, in which all available networks will be displayed.

To check the network activity, use the command ncpa.cpl, which is entered in the "Run" console, and then look at the connection status. If it is inactive, you need to select the enable option from the right-click menu. You can also see all the connections in the network management section, where you select the item for changing adapter properties. The Wi-Fi module is turned on either by special buttons on the notebook panel, or by a combination of the Fn key with some other (usually it's the F1-F12 function buttons, but there may be exceptions).

With mobile devices and even easier. It is enough to enable the connection, and then select the desired network from the list, then enter the access password, if one is provided.

An advanced user can extract more information using sniffers. With their help, you can view the MAC address of the router, see hidden networks, find out information about the communication channel, the signal level, the number of connected subscribers at the current moment, etc.

How to hide the SSID of the network?

In connection with the foregoing, let's look at one more situation with reference to the SSID of the network. This is what is already clear. Now a few words about how you can hide the name of the network so that it does not appear in the list of available connections.

The easiest way to use this is to configure the router, where you need to find a special item with the SSID hiding line (Hide SSID or something like that). If you later need to connect to a hidden network, you must create a new connection in the wireless network management section and create the profile manually. After that, you will need to enter the SSID of the network, set the types of security and encryption, and also use the security key (password) that were registered in the router settings at the initial stage of creating the connection or when changing the settings.

Multi-SSID

In principle, for any connection, you can create multiple access points with their own names and parameters. The essence of this process is that in this way you can divide the connection speed between several groups of users. For example, these settings will be relevant if one network is required for the personal use of the head of the enterprise, the second for the personnel, and the third for the general access.

You can set these parameters on the same router, but use the corresponding section Multi-SSID for this, where the values of the names of points, passwords and many other parameters are set.

Conclusion

It remains to add that nothing complicated in understanding the definition of SSID networks, in general, and no. Another matter is the accompanying parameters and additional settings. But it's unlikely that an average user will deal with such things. Usually knowledge in this area is required more by system administrators or employees of service providers providing Internet access services.