SSID stands for Service Set IDentification or Service Set IDentifier. This is a 32 alphanumeric character unique identifier that is embedded into the header of packets of data sent over wireless local-area networks (WLAN).
SSID has also been nicknamed as network name, and essentially is a unique identifier for wireless networking devices.
SSID is the name the industry has attributed to extended service sets (ESS). These ESSs are the logical WLAN networks which compresses several basic service sets (BSS) together to indeed create that WLAN.
SSIDs are used across IEEE 802.11 networks and can be broadcasted from an access point (AP) within the wireless network to enable Stations to determine which network to associate with.
According to Toshiba, a network's AP can be configured to publicise its SSID in broadcast frames, orto not do so.
If a station wants to attach to a wireless network through an access point, it must know that AP's SSID.
