University's Wireless SSID to Change to "utexas"

--May 6, 2004--

By Jennifer Coast

During the month of June 2004, Information Technology Services (ITS) networking staff will change the University's wireless SSID (Service Set Identifier) from "tsunami" to "utexas." This change will help users to better identify the wireless network to which they are connecting. Most users will not need to take any action; however, those who have manually configured SSID options on their computers may need to adjust their SSID settings when the change occurs.

What are SSIDs?

SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) are 32-byte strings used to distinguish wireless networks from one another. An SSID is also referred to as a network name because it is essentially the name that identifies a wireless network.

At the University, the SSID originally was set to a popular default used by manufacturers: tsunami. Using the default SSID allowed most users to connect to the University's network without having to know or to enter the appropriate SSID into their wireless connection settings. Most users' wireless network cards now work with broadcast SSIDs and, in the current University's wireless Public Network system, access points are configured to broadcast an SSID and allow any station to associate. Therefore, the actual value of the SSID no longer matters from a technical perspective.

Why change to "utexas"?

The new value will provide an increased sense of presence because the SSID identifies the network to the user. By using "utexas" as the SSID, the University will allow users to know immediately that they are using The University of Texas at Austin's wireless network, and that they should expect the University's computing and networking rules to apply. An SSID of "utexas" will allow users to distinguish the University's wireless network from other networks within their reception area.

Using "utexas" as the SSID also will allow the University to proclaim ownership of the network, and discourage others from using the same SSID. Only ITS may install and operate wireless networks on campus, and only the University wireless network may use the "utexas" SSID.

How to manually configure SSID settings

Few users will be adversely affected by this change. Many users have their wireless connections set up to scan for available networks automatically. However, users who need to manually configure their SSID settings can refer to the appropriate instructions for their operating systems below.

ITS News > Features > University's Wireless SSID to Change to "utexas"

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