Change SSID while clients are connected

If I change the SSID on a WiFi router, will all clients be disconnected?

Or is it possible somehow to change the SSID and keep the connections of the connected clients?

wireless-networking

rubo77

Posted 2014-06-26T22:35:48.130

Reputation: 2 822

Answers

I've done this before - with a spare router running as an AP, and they will get disconnected.

In my specific case I used a laptop with a 802.11n 150mbps adaptor built in, connecting to an asus RT-N56U running in AP mode. You're likely to get the same results with another AP.

While I was messing with my router, I've also checked changing the password (same effect).

Any major change to your AP settings is likely to knock all of your clients offline, and you'll need to set them up again. What you want is not possible.

Journeyman Geek

Posted 2014-06-26T22:35:48.130

Reputation: 119 122

Couldn't I start a second network with the new SSID and prohibit new users from connecting to the old SSID? They could stay as long as they want, but new users can only connect to the new SSID. once no users are connected to the old SSID I could turn that off. (This only makes sense, if it is possoble to create a second SSID without restarting the device, thus without kicking the old users) – rubo77 – 2015-07-08T16:47:27.503

In theory, maybe, but I've not come across any APs that would do that. I would suppose if you could add a second network (which might be possible, tho most APs do a main and a guest network at most), mac address filter the first network and... yeah... it gets complex. – Journeyman Geek – 2015-07-09T05:16:47.247

We can configure our OpenWRT routers on TP-WR841N like everything that would be technically possible, so that could be a real solution to the problem then? – rubo77 – 2015-07-09T07:54:52.303

Sorry, your request has no possible solutions.

WiFi networks rely on several infos which are mandatory for devices to extabilish and maintain the connection: SSID is one ot them.

Should it be missing, the connection would be broken.

Gabriele Bertolucci

Posted 2014-06-26T22:35:48.130

Reputation: 17

1Can you elaborate on that? Without context or authoritative citation, it's hard for readers to know whether this is correct (and if so, why), or you are simply unaware of a solution. – fixer1234 – 2018-09-01T08:47:31.287