Saturday, October 6, 2018

50 Funny Wi-Fi Names for Your Router’s Network SSID

funny-wifi-names

If you’ve just bought a brand new router, there are a handful of first steps that you should handle—such as picking a good name for the network SSID (service set identifier). Or if your network has had a generic name for some time, you should also consider changing it up to something more interesting.

A good SSID not only makes it easier to identify your network when connecting new devices (which “LINKSYS” is yours?), it can serve as a conversation starter when friends come over. It can also provide amusement for strangers when they browse for nearby networks and see yours in the list.

Here are some of the best Wi-Fi names you can use for your router. Leave a comment and tell us which ones you like best!

50 Funny Wi-Fi Names for Network SSIDs

“Funny” is subjective, so we’ll try to cover as wide a variety of ideas as we can. Hopefully you’ll find at least one or two that really stick out as awesome for you:

  1. Mom Use This One
  2. Abraham Linksys
  3. Benjamin FrankLAN
  4. Martin Router King
  5. John Wilkes Bluetooth
  6. Pretty Fly for a Wi-Fi
  7. Bill Wi the Science Fi
  8. I Believe Wi Can Fi
  9. Tell My Wi-Fi Love Her
  10. No More Mister Wi-Fi
  11. LAN Solo
  12. The LAN Before Time
  13. Silence of the LANs
  14. House LANister
  15. Winternet Is Coming
  16. Ping’s Landing
  17. The Ping in the North
  18. This LAN Is My LAN
  19. Get Off My LAN
  20. The Promised LAN
  21. The LAN Down Under
  22. FBI Surveillance Van 4
  23. Area 51 Test Site
  24. Drive-By Wi-Fi (for automobile hotspot)
  25. Planet Express (for automobile hotspot)
  26. Wu Tang LAN
  27. Darude LANstorm
  28. Never Gonna Give You Up
  29. Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wi-Fi
  30. Loading…
  31. Searching…
  32. VIRUS.EXE
  33. Virus-Infected Wi-Fi
  34. Starbucks Wi-Fi
  35. Text ###-#### for Password
  36. Yell ____ for Password
  37. The Password Is 1234
  38. Free Public Wi-Fi
  39. No Free Wi-Fi Here
  40. Get Your Own Damn Wi-Fi
  41. It Hurts When IP
  42. Dora the Internet Explorer
  43. 404 Wi-Fi Unavailable
  44. Porque-Fi
  45. Titanic Syncing
  46. Test Wi-Fi Please Ignore
  47. Drop It Like It’s Hotspot
  48. Life in the Fast LAN
  49. The Creep Next Door
  50. Ye Olde Internet

Tips for Choosing a Clever Wi-Fi Name

Whether you decide to go with one of the SSIDs above or something else of your own creation, there are a few important guidelines that you should consider:

  • Aim for unique but memorable.
  • Never include personal information like your real name, address, apartment number, birthdate, etc.
  • Never make the SSID related to the network password.
  • Avoid provocative SSIDs that might make your network a prime target for hackers.

As long as you take those tips to heart, there aren’t many network security risks to worry about. And if you’re thinking about hiding your SSID to keep hackers away, don’t bother—even if the SSID isn’t being broadcast, others can still find it using packet sniffers and probe requests.

How to Change Your Wi-Fi Name (Network SSID)

Once you’ve picked a name for your network, you actually have to change a setting on your router to make that name come to life. This may not be as easy as snapping your fingers, but the process is rather straightforward—just follow the directions below closely and you’ll be fine, even if you’ve never done it before.

1. Log Into Your Router as Admin

Every router manufacturer provides its own unique admin panel software, and sometimes it can even differ from model to model, but the overall login procedure is pretty much the same for all of them. For what it’s worth, I’m on Windows 10 and have a TP-Link router, so that’s what you’ll see in the screenshots below.

Open up Command Prompt (search “Command Prompt” in the Start Menu) and type in the ipconfig command:

windows-10-command-prompt-ipconfig

In the results that show up, find Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi: and look under it for the item labeled Default Gateway. This is the IP address of your router. If you type it into the address bar of a web browser, you should see your router’s admin login page:

windows-10-router-config-admin-login

Most of the time, 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 should work. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to look up the instructions in your router’s manual to see if there are any special steps. For example, sometimes the login address is an actual URL like routerlogin.com.

As for admin login credentials, you can find the defaults for your router in the manual as well. However, admin / admin is a popular combo used by many manufacturers, followed by admin / password and admin / 1234. If those don’t work, check out RouterPasswords.com to see credentials for your specific model.

2. Change the Router’s SSID

Once you’ve logged in, look for the navigation bar. For me, all of the options are along the left in a sidebar. For you, it might be sprawled across the top or bottom of the page, or it might be in a dropdown menu that’s tucked away into a corner.

windows-10-router-config-sidebar-navigation

Look for a section called Wireless, Wireless Networks, Wi-Fi, Wireless Settings, or anything along those lines. Click it and you should be brought to a page that lets you edit the router’s SSID, though it might have a more user-friendly label, like Wireless Network Name in my case.

windows-10-router-wireless-network-ssid

Type in the new SSID, click Save, and you’re done. Note that this will disconnect ALL devices, forcing them to reconnect to the newly named network (because in the eyes of a device, the old network no longer exists and the different name indicates a new network).

3. Tweak Other Router Settings (Optional)

Since you’re already logged into your router, we recommend tweaking a few other settings in order to optimize your internet performance and increase the security of your connections.

You definitely should change both the admin login password and the public-facing password that people use to connect to your network. The former should be under System Tools (or something similar), while the latter should be under Wireless Security (or something similar). In either case, make sure the password is a strong one.

Other settings to change include turning off Wi-Fi Protected Setup, using WPA2 instead of WPA or WEP, and enabling the built-in firewall if it exists. You should also get acquainted with the page that shows all devices that are connected to the router. This can be an effective first step if you ever think there are suspicious devices on your network.

Lastly, you’ll want to go over our list of the most important router features to use—like port forwarding, quality of service, guest access, and parental controls—and make sure they’re all configured properly on your network.

What Are the Most Creative Wi-Fi Names You’ve Seen?

Note that your Wi-Fi network SSID has nothing to do with its public hotspot functionality, assuming your router can be a public hotspot in the first place. The hotspot network is separate from your home network and usually has a designated name like xfinitywifi or Verizon Wi-Fi. Have fun!

Read the full article: 50 Funny Wi-Fi Names for Your Router’s Network SSID



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