How to Find the SSID on a Computer

Contributor

By Jacklyn Dephoff
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (1 Ratings)

When a wireless device connects to a network, its setting is modified to belong to a particular wireless network using a specific identification name. This network name is the SSID or Service Set Identifier. All devices with similar SSID can communicate via the wireless network. SSID is a combination of any 32 alphanumeric characters that serves as a case-sensitive code in wireless networks. By default, the SSID is set as the name of the wireless adapter or router in use, such as Linksys or TP-LINK.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Wireless device
Wireless network
Wireless adapter

Step 1

Right-click the wireless network icon located at the lower right corner of your taskbar. You will see various options to choose from, depending on the operating system that you use.
Step 2

Click the "View Available Wireless Networks" option. This will automatically open the wireless connection window. This is an option available to Windows XP users only.
Step 3

Image 2 - Network Connection Window

Check the information on the wireless connection window. You should see a diagram showing how your computer is connected to a network.
Step 4

Image 3 - Network Icon

Click the "Network icon" to view all available connections that your computer can recognize. This will list all the SSID currently available.
Step 5

Image 4 - Refresh Network Option

Click the "Refresh Network List" option located at the top of your screen to update the SSID list.

Tips & Warnings

If your computer failed to discover the SSID configured in your wireless adapter (or router), consult the manual that came with it, or call the technical support of the wireless adapter vendor.