Wireless networks and their many, creative names

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Nearly every time I pull out my iPhone or fire up my laptop, I get an interesting look into the people and businesses that surround me. How do I do this? By looking at the names of their wireless networks.

As the number of wireless networks, and the number of portable devices that can connect to them, continues to increase, naming a wireless network has become the high-tech equivalent of getting a vanity license plate, providing humor or insight into its creator.

Some people, such as Heather Whaling of Winter Park, Fla., use their Wi-Fi network to express their love of a particular sports team. Whaling named her network "Go Bucks!" after her beloved Ohio State University Buckeyes. But soon after, another network popped up in her condo building called "go gators."

Others give their networks names that have specific meaning, such as a favorite nickname, word or vacation spot. Orlando Magic player Adonal Foyle has named some of his Wi-Fi networks "Lucky1" and "Lucky2" after a donkey he had growing up in the Caribbean.

One popular method is to give your Wi-Fi network a name that will deter others from using your network or others without permission, such as "Not Yours." This is especially popular in apartment buildings, which are typically ground zero for Wi-Fi theft.

Last year, Alyssa Myracle set up an unsecured wireless network in her Orlando apartment and soon discovered her neighbors were mooching off her network. She could tell because she saw their Apple iTunes libraries pop up when she had the music program open. So she protected her network with a password and called it "stealingiswrong." Although the password prevented others from getting on her network, she hoped her network name would be a "good reminder that it's not cool to steal Internet from people who are paying for it!"

Others take a more sinister approach by giving their networks names such as "SSID Virus," "Apple Virus," "Fatal Error F01," or "Chinese Spyware."

Lauren Mayeux said when she was a student at the University of Central Florida, she used her wireless network to send a different sort of message to her neighbors.

"I had some very rude neighbors who kept music with heavy bass blaring at all hours of the night and the complex wasn't much help," she says. "Out of much frustration, I renamed my wireless network to something like 'LoudNeighborsSuckTurnItDown.' No idea if they ever saw the message, but it made me feel better at the time."

Gavin Hall, an Orlando Internet entrepreneur uses his wireless network as a virtual billboard for his resume and job networking Web site, emurse.com. Hall connects an aircard to his laptop to give him Internet access and also create a Wi-Fi network for those around him. When he goes to conferences, he leaves his laptop out so others can get online and learn about his business. His network is called "Please visit emurse.com."

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What about people who don't change their Wi-Fi network name and just keep the default of "linksys" or "netgear"? They either don't know a lot about technology or are really boring.

Besides giving you insight into a person or business, seeing what Wi-Fi network names pop up when you are traveling can give you a feel for your new surroundings. For instance, during a recent trip to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass, I got out my iPhone and saw a network with whose name started with "Bush is a ..." and ended with a very vulgar word. If you didn't already know that Cambridge was a pretty liberal place, this would be a good indicator.

And sometimes, a Wi-Fi network with a certain name popping up at a certain time can seem more than just coincidence. When I was voting in the recent primary election, a network popped up called "gustav." This was a few days before the storm was dominating the news, but people were just starting to talk about it and perhaps the appearance of this network was an indication that this Gustav would be a storm that deserved my attention.

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(Etan Horowitz is the technology columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at ehorowitz@orlandosentinel.com.)

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© 2008, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).