If you ask the question “What is a network SSID?”, you will find all the answers here. Of course, you can find a simple definition on the Internet that this is the name of the network. But in reality, everything is much more complicated and this definition does not clarify the situation for everyone.
Many authors prefer to throw out a lot of obscure computer networking terms rather than explain all the concepts. We will take a different route and try to explain in detail what an SSID is and what manipulations can be done with this parameter.
Learn more about determining the SSID
So, SSID is really an identifier, that is, the name of the network to which you can connect. This abbreviation stands for “Service Set Identifier”. This literally translates to "Service Set Identifier". Indeed, a large number of services are involved in the operation of the network. This includes connection security services, information transfer services, and much more. All of them, for the convenience and ease of perception of the user, are presented as a single Wi-Fi network.
It is this identifier that we see when we look at available Wi-Fi networks, as shown in Figure 1.
Rice. 1. View available Wi-Fi networks
Moreover, we will see exactly the same identifiers if we connect using a smartphone running Android OS or any other device that can work with Wi-Fi.
Each router initially has its own unique SSID. It is written on the back along with the serial number, model and data to enter the device settings. An example can be seen in Figure 2.
Rice. 2. Router network ID on the back of the device
From all this, there are a few main points you need to know about SSID:
- SSID is a unique network identifier.
- SSID is only available for Wi-Fi networks. For local and global networks that use a cable connection, such an identifier has no meaning.
- You can find the SSID if you open all available connections on your computer, smartphone or tablet. In this case, the network name will be the same for all devices - each network has its own name.
All clear?
If not, ask your questions in the comments to this article. We will definitely answer them and help you clarify all the unclear details of this puzzle. Although we are talking about a rather simple concept. Its setup looks just as simple.
A few words about replacing the SSID
In addition to the two methods above, you can find out the SSID in the router settings. But, if you can go into these very settings, you will probably be able to see the standard identifier. The fact is that all the information for logging into them is also located on the back of the router. Let's look at the process of changing the identifier step by step:
1. Connect to the selected Wi-Fi network.
2. First, look on the router for the address to enter the settings, username and password. In Figure 2, this information is outlined in green.
Note: Login information for the router settings can be specified in English (“Login”, “Password”). And also usually an IP address is indicated instead of a link. But even if you can’t find it on the router, don’t be sad, because there are only two options - 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.
Rice. 3. Login to the router settings
Note: Most often, the words “admin” and “admin” are used as the standard login and password. But, in any case, you need to look at the router.
4. And then everything depends on the router model. In some cases, the name of the network is on the main settings page, while in others you have to search for this parameter for a long time. For example, TP-Link routers have a “Wireless” section, with a “Wireless Settings” subsection. And there you can already find the “Wireless Network Name” parameter, that is, “Name of the wireless network”.
Rice. 4. “Wireless network name” parameter in the TP-Link router settings
Actually, all you need to do to change the name is to enter a new name and click the “Save” button at the bottom of the open window.
Of course, depending on the model, the settings interface will differ, but there will always be some parameter associated with the network name. This will be its identifier, that is, SSID.
Tip: To change router settings, it is recommended to use the Google Chrome browser. Otherwise, problems may arise with the correct saving of the changes made. But in all browsers that run on the Chromium engine, this happens quite rarely.
If you are unable to find this setting, contact your router manufacturer's support service. You can also call your provider. Typically, operators should help resolve such issues. In addition, you can write your router model in the comments, and we will help you find the SSID in its settings.
As you can see, everything is quite simple!
But knowing how to change the Wi-Fi ID is not enough to complete this task. You also need to know how to choose the right name.
Rules for composing a network name
There are several rules that will help you create the “correct” network name. By “correct” name we mean one that cannot simply be hacked and connected without permission. We are talking about the following rules:
- the name must contain letters and numbers;
- You should not use any “bright” words in the name, which can only attract unnecessary attention from intruders (which in this case may be your neighbors);
- You cannot use your date of birth, phone number or any other personal information in your SSID;
- do not use the Cyrillic alphabet to compose the network name, the name can only be specified in Latin letters;
- Use underscores, hyphens, and other punctuation whenever possible.
Experts also advise changing the SSID from time to time so that other users cannot easily connect to your network. Although the main thing, of course, is to create a strong password and, again, change it sometimes. But paying attention to the name of the Wi-Fi network is also important.
Now let's reveal a few secrets regarding SSID, in particular those related to MultiSSID.
MultiSSID – several names of one network
It’s worth saying right away that this function is also not available in all routers, but it is quite useful. It’s very easy to check - if the settings contain the word “MultiSSID” somewhere, then the function is present and vice versa. So you can go to the settings again and try to search for this very word there. And then everything is quite simple:
- Check the box next to “Enable MultiSSID”, that is, “Enable...”.
- Next, enter the network name, specify the password encryption type and click the “Add” button, that is, “Add”.
- Below you can see a table where all created access points are indicated.
Using the D-Link router as an example, all this looks as shown in Figure 6.
Rice. 6. Setting up MultiSSID in D-Link settings
As you can see, everything is quite simple. And setting up the SSID parameter is also very easy. To do this, just go to the router settings and find the desired line there with the word “Wireless Name”, “Network Name” or even “SSID” itself. Again, if you have any problems, write them in the comments.
What is SSID and how can you get a Wi-Fi ID on Android
Using devices with Android OS installed on them often comes down to Internet surfing. To do this, of course, you need an Internet connection via Wi-Fi. Well, this, in turn, requires knowledge of the SSID on Wi-Fi in Android. You can learn more about what it is and how to find the SSID on an Android phone by watching our video
Owners of some wireless access points configure them so that they do not broadcast their name (ESSID). This is considered, in their opinion, additional protection (along with the password) of the accessory.
Simply put, a hidden Wi-Fi network is a network that is not visible in the list of available networks. To connect to it, you must enter its name manually.
In fact, this method of protection is untenable, if only because at certain moments the name of the wireless network (ESSID) is still broadcast in clear text.
There is a whole set of recommendations on how to protect your wireless router. But this type of protection (hiding the Wi-Fi name), as well as, is not recommended for use, since it causes certain difficulties for legitimate users and does not provide any protection.
This material shows the failure of protection by hiding the network. The next part will show the simplicity.
How to See Hidden Wi-Fi Networks
Let's start with the fact that hidden networks are not so hidden. They are very easy to see using Airodump-ng. To do this, we transfer our wireless card to:
Ifconfig wlan0 down && iwconfig wlan0 mode monitor && ifconfig wlan0 up
And run Airodump-ng:
Airodump-ng wlan0
Pay attention to the line
This is a “hidden” Wi-Fi network. All data, except ESSID, is available on the same basis as other access points. And we already know something about ESSID:
We find out the name of this AP by performing brute force using the mdk3 program. In the meantime, let's move on to another hidden Wi-Fi network and find out its name using Airodump-ng.
Getting Hidden Wi-Fi Network Name Using Airodump-ng
The network name (ESSID) is broadcast in clear text and can be intercepted when a client connects. You can wait for the client to connect naturally, or you can speed up the process by “knocking out” () from the access point. After this, it will immediately begin to reconnect, the network name will appear in the broadcast in clear text, and we, in turn, will intercept it. The sequence of actions exactly corresponds to that described in the article “”. Therefore, if you are already familiar with it, then it will be quite simple for you.
We look at the access points available for attack
Airodump-ng wlan0
Network with hidden name:
20:25:64:16:58:8C -42 1856 0 0 1 54e WPA2 CCMP PSK
Her BSSID is 20:25:64:16:58:8C, her name is 11 characters long, and she runs on channel 1. So I run airodump-ng on channel 1:
Airodump-ng wlan0 --channel 1
If you remember, when capturing a handshake I also specified the key -w followed by a filename prefix. This can be done now - since capturing a handshake does not interfere with identifying the name of a hidden AP. In this case, you will kill two birds with one stone.
You don’t have to do anything - just wait for someone to connect or reconnect naturally. If you are in a hurry, you can speed up the process by using.
To do this, we open a new terminal window and type the command there:
Aireplay-ng -0 3 -a 20:25:64:16:58:8C wlan0
Here -0 means deauthentication, 3 means the number of packets sent, -a 20:25:64:16:58:8C this is the BSSID of the target AP, and wlan0— network interface in monitor mode.
The result is obtained almost instantly:
The line we are interested in is:
20:25:64:16:58:8C -34 100 1270 601 0 1 54e WPA2 CCMP PSK SecondaryAP
Those. the name of the "hidden" network is SecondaryAP.
Pros of using Airodump-ng:
- Significantly faster than using mdk3 (when using )
- If you do not use a deauthentication attack, you remain invisible to wireless network monitoring systems
Disadvantages of using Airodump-ng:
- If there are no clients, then this program is powerless to uncover a hidden Wi-Fi network
- If you use a deauthentication attack, you unmask yourself.
- If this attack is not used, the time required to reveal the network name increases significantly.
Getting the name of a hidden Wi-Fi network without connected clients (using mdk3)
Pros of using mdk3:
- Works in situations where Airodump-ng is powerless.
- AP clients are not needed to find the name of a hidden Wi-Fi.
Disadvantages of using mdk3:
- The selection may take a long time, especially for long names of Wi-Fi access points.
- You always unmask yourself; your activity looks extremely suspicious to wireless network monitors.
Remember our first hidden AP
20:02:AF:32:D2:61 -40 108 3 0 6 54e WPA2 CCMP PSK
Unfortunately, this AP has no clients, so we can't use the magic of Airodump-ng. Instead we will use mdk3 brute force.
My command looks like:
Mdk3 wlan0 p -t 20:02:AF:32:D2:61 -f /root/essid.txt
Here mdk3- this is the name of the program, wlan0- name of the wireless network interface, p— means basic probing and ESSID brute force mode, -t 20:02:AF:32:D2:61- this is the BSSID of the AP we are interested in, -f /root/essid.txt points to a file that contains a list of names to brute force the ESSID (Wi-Fi network name).
Result of the program:
Root@HackWare:~# mdk3 wlan0 p -t 20:02:AF:32:D2:61 -f /root/essid.txt SSID Wordlist Mode activated! Waiting for beacon frame from target... Sniffer thread started SSID is hidden. SSID Length is: 3. Trying SSID: Packets sent: 1 - Speed: 1 packets/sec Got response from 20:02:AF:32:D2:61, SSID: "web" Last try was: (null) End of SSID list reached.
Those. the name of the network was chosen, it turned out to be web.
Above is a dictionary attack. But the names of wireless networks can be obtained using regular brute force. My command takes the form:
Mdk3 wlan0 p -t 20:02:AF:32:D2:61 -с 6 -b l
Most of the options are already familiar to us, except for two new ones: -from 6 means channel six, -b l means a set of characters, with l means lower case.
Character sets:
- all printed ( a)
- lower case ( l)
- uppercase ( u)
- numbers ( n)
- lower and upper case ( c)
- lower and upper case plus numbers ( m)
As you can see, the program worked just fine (and quickly!). Result received: Got response from 20:02:AF:32:D2:61, SSID: "web".
Let's summarize. Protecting Wi-Fi by hiding the network name (along with filtering by MAC address - see the article " " about this) are unsuitable security measures. Nobody forbids using them - they do not weaken protection. But they don’t increase it either. At the same time, you have to put up with the inconvenience that they cause to legitimate users. If we are talking about filtering by MAC address, then whenever a new client is added, someone must obtain administrative rights for the router and change its configuration. This may not always be acceptable.
I decided to write a short note today and tell you what an SSID is. You might have seen this abbreviation somewhere in the settings of your router, on your computer, on your phone, etc. And straight to the point. SSID is the name of the Wi-Fi network. That's it, the article could already end here. I answered the main question.
But still, I think we need to understand in more detail what an SSID is and why it is needed at all. SSID (Service Set Identifier) – wireless network identifier. The name of the Wi-Fi network that is displayed on your computer, phone and other devices. There must be some way that Wi-Fi networks can be distinguished from one another, right? This is exactly what the SSID is used for.
As you can see in the screenshot below, my laptop sees only one Wi-Fi network, and its SSID " asus_site". This is exactly the name I set in the settings of my router.
Each Wi-Fi router has a standard (factory) name for the Wi-Fi network. Which is set in the default settings. As a rule, the factory SSID is indicated on the router itself (where the MAC address, address for entering settings, factory password (PIN), etc.).
We can change the SSID without any problems in the router settings. Moreover, I strongly recommend doing this when setting up your router for the first time. Changing the Wi-Fi network name and password is mandatory.
SSID requirements: The name of the Wi-Fi network cannot be specified in Cyrillic (Russian, Ukrainian letters). The name must be specified in letters of the Latin alphabet. You can use numbers, hyphens, and underscores. Problems and any other exotic signs are prohibited.
Changing the SSID (network name) in the router settings
Most often, people are interested in how to change the SSID of a Wi-Fi network and hide it. I will write in a separate article about how to hide the SSID in the near future. There are instructions about that. And regarding the name change, we already have detailed instructions on our website: There I showed this process for routers from different manufacturers: TP-Link, Asus, ZyXEL, Tenda, D-Link.
Everything is very simple there. We go into the settings of our router, no matter what model (manufacturer) you have, and look for the “Wi-Fi”, “Wireless”, “Wireless Network” tab, or something like that. There should be a field "SSID", "Wireless Network Name", "Wireless Network Name", etc. I think you will understand in which field you need to enter your name for the wireless network.
Please note: if you have a dual-band router and you have network broadcasting enabled at the 5GHz frequency, then you need to separately change the LED and set a password for it. As a rule, they simply add “_5G” to the end of the name.
This is what it looks like on TP-Link:
We just indicate our name, save the settings, reboot the router, and that’s it. Our network has been renamed.
Judging by the statistics (I myself sometimes look at Wi-Fi networks in different houses), most users leave the standard name. It's probably hard to come up with something of your own. I also don’t have a lot of imagination, you saw the name of my network in the screenshot above :) And sometimes there are networks with very interesting names.
Now you know what the SSID is and how to change it. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments. I will be happy to answer!
The name of the wifi network, or SSID (Service Set Identifier) - we all come across this concept when setting up a wireless signal on a router or TV. What is WiFi SSID? How to find out the name of the network and identify it in the list of connections? I will tell you about all this in this article.
How is the SSID name translated?
The word SSID in the original sounds like “Service Set Identifier”. As the name already suggests, this is the service identifier of the network, or its index. If , then its name is displayed when we select it to connect.
What is the SSID name of the wifi network in the settings of the router or TV?
So, SSID is the name of the wireless network, which means the name of the wifi from the router. It is displayed on the TV, in Windows or on Android/iPhone when connected to a Wi-Fi signal. You can rename the SSID in the router settings via a computer or from your phone using a mobile application.
By default, when you plug in the router, it automatically starts broadcasting a wireless signal and already has a WiFi network name. However, when you turn on the wireless module on your laptop, phone or TV and try to connect, among the many available SSIDs there may be several with the same names.
For example, “TP-LINK_1234”, or “TP-LINK_1234_5G”, if it operates at a frequency of 5 GHz. These are just your neighbors who have not changed the SSID on their Wi-Fi routers. You can recognize our network among them from the sticker that is located on the router body. It shows the wifi name and password for authorization if the network is initially protected.
For security reasons, the network name must be renamed immediately during the initial setup of the router.
Network with a hidden name - Hide SSID
To protect your wifi network from unauthorized access, the method is often used as one of the measures. In English translation, this type of connection is called Hide SSID and it is also activated in the control panel of the router.
It is called that because it is not displayed in the connection list, which is visible when you enter the settings of the wifi network adapter. As in that joke - you don’t see it, but it’s there. If the network is visible, then to hack it it is enough to pick up the key. If it is not visible, then the task becomes much more complicated.
To connect to such wifi, you need not only to know the password, but also the SSID, that is, the network name. They must be specified when connecting.
WiFi networks ESSID and BSSID - what are they?
ESSID and BSSID are no longer a name, but types of wireless networks. As the name suggests, BSSID is the identifier of the BSS network, which is a familiar home system where all devices connect to the same router. BSSID is the >>MAC address of the router and is more of a service information for gadgets than something useful for you and me.
ESSID is the index of ESS, which is an association of several wifi networks. It is assigned to each of the routers to identify it in the system and is just as necessary only for setting up the equipment itself.
What is MBSSID in a wifi router?
MBSSID translates as “Multi Broadcast Service Set Identifier”, that is, a network with several SSIDs. Simply put, this is when, in addition to the main home wifi, the router relays several additional ones. If you have configured a file or media server on your router to distribute documents, movies or music to other devices over a local network, then access to them by clients connected to the guest connection will be limited. The MBSSID mode is present today on the vast majority of even the most budget router models.
How to find out the SSID name of your wifi router if it is not broadcast?
If the router has already been used, then its name has been changed to something different from what is indicated on the label. And perhaps it was even hidden. Where can I get this SSID now - how can I find it out? In order to see the name of your WiFi network, you first need to go to the admin panel of the router and find the wireless signal settings there.
Different models may have different menu sections where these configurations are hidden. The main thing here is to understand the principle. In the wifi connection settings on the router, you can find out the SSID.
I have one good friend who is not exactly a kettle - he set up his home wired network himself. But with wireless it just didn’t work out that way. It would seem, what is the difference?! Everything is the same, only in one case everything is organized using a cable, and in the other - via a radio channel. In fact, there is a significant difference. He stumbled on the simplest thing - he didn’t understand what an SSID was and why use it. I think that not only my friend is asking this question, and the very basics of organizing a Wi-Fi network are of interest to many users. Both beginners and more or less experienced ones.
Therefore, in this post I want to talk in more detail about the name of the wireless network SSID - what it is, why it is needed and how it is used.
Unlike cable networks, where the connection is made directly through a physical connection and everything depends directly on which cable you connect to the network card, in wireless the client sees all available networks in the range. Imagine that there are several WiFi access points operating near you at once - how do you choose the one you need, that is, the one you need to connect to?! This is where the Network Name comes to your aid - SSID, which stands for Service Set Identifier. This identifier allows you to highlight each Wi-Fi network by assigning it the desired name.
The SSID is an alphanumeric unique identifier with a maximum length of 32 characters. It is attached to the header of packets sent over a WLAN. Under normal conditions, a WiFi access point broadcasts the identifier in a broadcast format and everyone who has an adapter turned on nearby can see it without any problems.
The access point transmits its network identifier using special beacon signaling packets at a speed of 0.1 Mbit/s periodically every 100 ms. By the way, this is why 0.1 Mbit/s is the lowest data transfer speed for Wi-Fi.
On the client side, the SSID plays the role of a login when the client connects to point-to-multipoint (BSS) mode, which the mobile device transmits when trying to connect. It is an integral component of WLAN. Only knowing the SSID of the network can the client find out whether it is possible to connect to a given access point. And the password is already set separately in the settings of the router or access point. Accordingly, there should not be two identical identifiers in the same range, otherwise they will not be able to work normally and will significantly complicate each other’s existence.
In terms of security level, the SSID network identifier can hardly be called secure. Even if it is hidden in the settings of the access point and is not broadcast in a broadcast format, an attacker can still “catch” it without much difficulty using specialized software for analyzing traffic transmitted over the air.
How to find out the SSID on a router or access point
Let's look at a typical situation. There are several wireless networks and you need to find out which one is broadcast from a specific WiFi router to which you have physical access. In this case, everything is done as follows. We connect from a computer or laptop to this device using a LAN network cable. We go to the configuration web interface using the router’s IP address - or (You can find this out on the sticker that is glued to the device’s body). The login and password for logging in are usually indicated there.
After authorization, go to the WiFi or Wireless section and find the “Basic Settings” subsection. There will be a line in it SSID or Network name(in some cases "Network Name"). In it you can find the Wi-Fi network identifier that is broadcast by the wireless module of the router.
How to hide the SSID of a wireless network
As I said above, many network security experts strongly advise, for reliability, to be sure to enable the option that allows you to hide the SSID of the Wi-Fi distributed by the router. It's not difficult to do this. Again, through the router’s web interface, in the basic WiFi settings, find the “Hide wireless network” checkbox and check it. In some models, such as on a TP-Link router, on the contrary, you need to uncheck “Enable SSID broadcasting”: