What is the term for the string that identifies a particular wireless LAN (WLAN)?

What is the term for the string that identifies a particular wireless LAN (WLAN)?

• A. MAC address
• B. Channel
• C. SSID
• D. IP address

Answer: (C)

The string that identifies a WLAN is the SSID, the Service Set Identifier. Think of it as the network name you see when you scan for Wi‑Fi and choose a connection. Access points advertise this name in beacon frames, letting devices discover and present the network as an option. You select the SSID to join that particular network, and your device uses it to establish the association with the AP. This is different from a MAC address, which is the hardware identifier of a device or AP and not the network name. It’s also different from a channel, which refers to the radio frequency lane the network uses, and from an IP address, which is how devices are addressed at the network layer once connected. Some networks use the same SSID across multiple access points to provide seamless coverage, and SSIDs can sometimes be hidden, requiring you to know the exact name to connect.

The string that identifies a WLAN is the SSID, the Service Set Identifier. Think of it as the network name you see when you scan for Wi‑Fi and choose a connection. Access points advertise this name in beacon frames, letting devices discover and present the network as an option. You select the SSID to join that particular network, and your device uses it to establish the association with the AP.

This is different from a MAC address, which is the hardware identifier of a device or AP and not the network name. It’s also different from a channel, which refers to the radio frequency lane the network uses, and from an IP address, which is how devices are addressed at the network layer once connected.

Some networks use the same SSID across multiple access points to provide seamless coverage, and SSIDs can sometimes be hidden, requiring you to know the exact name to connect.