Interpretation of 802.11 Basic Elements

• SSID: Service

        SSID technology can divide a wireless local area network into several sub-networks which need supplementary authentication. Each sub-network needs independent authentication. Only the authenticated users can enter the corresponding sub-network to prevent wi authorized users from entering the network.

• BSA: Basic Service Area

         The basic service area is equivalent to a wireless unit. Membership sites in this coverage area can maintain communication with each other before. Because the surrounding environment often changes, the size and shape of BAS are not always fixed.

• BSS: Basic Service Set

           The scope covered by an AP. In a BSS service are, STA can communicate with each other.

• ESS: Extended Service Set

           802.11 allows us to extend the coverage of wireless networks by connecting several BSS in series to EXtended Service Set (ESS). The most common ESS is composed of multiple access points, which overlap partially between the coverage cells to achieve seamless roaming of the client. It is recommended that the signal cover the overlapping area at least 15%-25%.

• BSSID: Basic Service Set Indentifier

           BSSID is actually the MAC address of the AP, which is used to represent the BSS managed by the AP.