220-1102 Question 546
Single answerChanging the service set identifier (SSID)A small office has a wireless network named "OfficeWiFi". The manager asks a technician to change the wireless network name to "NorthBranch" so employees can more easily identify it after a recent office move. After the change, several users report that their laptops no longer connect automatically, even though the wireless password has not changed. Which action should the technician take next to restore connectivity for those users?
- A
Update each affected device to connect to the new SSID "NorthBranch"
- B
Reboot the ISP modem so it broadcasts the new SSID to client devices
- C
Change the WPA2 passphrase back to the previous value used with "OfficeWiFi"
- D
Disable SSID broadcast so client devices reconnect using the saved profile
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
An SSID is the wireless network name that client devices use to identify a WLAN. When an administrator changes the SSID, clients that previously connected to the old SSID typically need their wireless profile updated or recreated because the new SSID is treated as a separate network. Best practice is to verify the new SSID, security mode, and passphrase on the access point, then reconnect or redeploy updated wireless settings to affected devices. This aligns with standard wireless configuration behavior described in vendor documentation from enterprise and consumer wireless manufacturers, where SSID, security type, and credentials must match on both the access point and client.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Changing the SSID creates what client devices treat as a different wireless network, even if the password and security type remain the same. Saved wireless profiles for "OfficeWiFi" will not automatically apply to "NorthBranch" unless the devices are updated or reconfigured to join the new network name.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Rebooting the modem does not cause client devices to map an old saved wireless profile to a newly named SSID. In many environments, the wireless router or access point, not the ISP modem, handles SSID broadcasting.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The scenario states the password did not change, and changing it back would not solve the main issue. The problem is that the SSID is different, so devices are still looking for the old network name.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disabling SSID broadcast hides the network name from casual scanning, but it does not make devices reconnect to an SSID that no longer exists. In fact, hiding the SSID can make connecting more difficult because users may need to enter the exact network name manually.