Wireless Home Networking - Index of

Figure 2-6:
A standalone
access
point.
Chapter 2: From a to n and b-yond
Because many homes and businesses use wireless networking, a method is
needed to distinguish one wireless network from another. Otherwise, your
neighbor may accidentally send a page to the printer on your network. (That
could be fun or that could be a little scary.) Three parameters can be used to
uniquely identify each segment of a wireless network:
� Network name: When you set up your wireless network, you should
assign a unique name to the network. Some manufacturers refer to the
network name by one of its technical monikers — service set identifier
(SSID) or perhaps extended service set identifier (ESSID). This can be confusing
and comes up most often if you’re using equipment from different
manufacturers. Rest assured, however, that network name, SSID, and
ESSID all mean the same thing.
If the AP manufacturer assigns a network name at the factory, it assigns
the same name to every AP it manufactures. Consequently, you should
assign a different network name to avoid confusion with other APs that
may be nearby (like your neighbor’s). Note: All stations and the AP on a
given wireless network must have the same network name to ensure that
they can communicate.
Assigning a unique network name is good practice, but don’t think of the
network name as a security feature. Most APs broadcast their network
name, so it’s easy for a hacker to change the network name on his or her
computer to match yours. Changing the network name from the factory
setting to a new name just reduces the chance that you and your neighbor
accidentally have wireless networks with the same network name.
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