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 4 
they automatically select the MAC address of one BSS member as an identifier for the 
group; this is the BSSID. 
It has become customary to refer to a wireless device’s MAC address as its BSSID even 
when the address is not being used to identify an active BSS. 
A BSS that includes an access point is often referred to as a cell
SSID/Domain Identifier 
A Service Set Identifier (SSID) is a shared name, usually assigned by a network 
administrator, that identifies wireless devices that are allowed to communicate with each 
other. This is one way of providing basic security on a wireless network. An SSID can be up 
to 32 characters long, and can include letters and numbers. 
Giving multiple access points the same SSID and encryption settings allows mobile stations 
that also share those settings to “roam” from one AP to another. When at least one AP is 
among the devices sharing an SSID, the name may be referred to as an Extended Service Set 
Identifier
 (ESSID). 
An SSID is sometimes called a “domain name,” but it is unrelated to the domain names used 
to identify machines and networks on the Internet. Other terms for SSID are domain IDnet 
ID
network nameextended network ID, and wireless network name. The set of devices that 
an SSID identifies is sometimes called a communication domain or wireless domain
Figure 3 shows a common wireless network setup. If the APs share SSID and encryption 
settings, mobile devices that also share those settings can roam among them. 
 
Figure 3.  Roamable multi-AP infrastructure network
 
Roaming 
When APs covering adjacent areas have the same SSID and encryption settings, a mobile 
device that also shares those settings can communicate through the APs continuously while 
moving from one coverage area to another. This is known as roaming. When one AP’s 
signal begins to weaken, the mobile device automatically searches for another AP that it is 
authorized to “associate with” (that is, connect to); when the second AP’s signal quality is 
better than that of the first, the station automatically switches over.