SSID

In computer networking, a service set (SS) is a set consisting of all the devices associated with a consumer or enterprise IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN). The service set can be local, independent, extended or mesh.

Service sets have an associated identifier, the service set identifier (SSID), which consists of 32 octets that frequently contains a human readable identifier of the network.

The basic service set (BSS) provides the basic building-block of an 802.11 wireless LAN. In infrastructure mode, a single access point (AP) together with all associated stations (STAs) is called a BSS; not to be confused with the coverage of an access point, known as the basic service area (BSA). The access point acts as a master to control the stations within that BSS; the simplest BSS consists of one access point and one station.

The IEEE 802.11s amendment defined an additional protocol for wireless mesh networks. Only mesh STAs participate in mesh functionalities such as formation of the mesh BSS, path selection, and forwarding. Accordingly, a mesh STA is not a member of an independent BSS (IBSS) or of an infrastructure BSS. Consequently, mesh STAs do not communicate with non-mesh STAs. However, instead of existing independently, an MBSS can interconnect with other BSSs through the distribution system (DS). Mesh STAs can communicate with non-mesh STAs through a logical architectural component called a Mesh Gate.

With 802.11, one can alternatively set up an ad hoc network of client devices without a controlling access point; the result is called an independent BSS (IBSS).

Each BSS is uniquely identified by a basic service set identifier (BSSID).

For a BSS operating in infrastructure mode, the BSSID is the MAC address of the wireless access point (WAP) generated by combining the 24 bit Organization Unique Identifier (OUI, the manufacturer's identity) and the manufacturer's assigned 24-bit identifier for the radio chipset in the WAP. The BSSID is the formal name of the BSS and is always associated with only one BSS. Note, the MAC address concept is not limited to radio communication; wired networks use the very same 24+24 bit MAC address concept to uniquely identify the hosts.

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