Service set (802.11 network)

An example of a service set called "WiFi Wikipedia" consisting of two basic service sets (BSSs). Notebook_My is able to automatically roam between the two BSSs, without the user having to explicitly connect to the second network. Note that in the diagram the incorrect label ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier) refers to the service set identifier.

In IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networking standards (including Wi‑Fi), a service set is a group of wireless network devices which share a service set identifier (SSID)—typically the natural language label that users see as a network name. (For example, all of the devices that together form and use a Wi‑Fi network called "Foo" are a service set.) A service set forms a logical network of nodes operating with shared link-layer networking parameters; they form one logical network segment.

A service set is either a basic service set (BSS) or an extended service set (ESS).

A basic service set is a subgroup, within a service set, of devices that share physical-layer medium access characteristics (e.g. radio frequency, modulation scheme, security settings) such that they are wirelessly networked. The basic service set is defined by a basic service set identifier (BSSID) shared by all devices within it. The BSSID is a 48-bit label that conforms to MAC-48 conventions. While a device may have multiple BSSIDs, usually each BSSID is associated with at most one basic service set at a time.[1]

A basic service set should not be confused with the coverage area of an access point, known as the basic service area (BSA).[2]

  1. ^ "Understanding the Network Terms SSID, BSSID, and ESSID – Technical Documentation – Support – Juniper Networks". www.juniper.net.
  2. ^ IEEE Std 802.11-2007, § 3.15, p. 5.