Any suggestions regarding the identification of an unknown WiFi router?

ralphm27

This appeared on multiple devices with a strong signal. The SSID was AD_201_T1872EFHU_F_e6cf. I live in a rural area with my closest neighbor at about 1000 feet away. It disappeared after several minutes I have a metal roof that is grounded if that matters.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @ralphm27,

How often does the network appear? If it only appeared once, it could have been a hotspot inside a car that simply drove by. I don't think there are ways to identify it if it's no longer there.

Regards,

Alex

ralphm27

Good point. The next day I noticed an SSID "FBI Surveillance Van" Appear for a couple of minutes and then disappear for several minutes and then reappear. This cycle repeated several times while outdoors. Such a name sounds like a joke but I would like to know what is in my environment. Visible SSIDs are common in an urban area but are rare in the boondocks. I saw the SSID cited in my original posting on multiple devices even after I had powered off my wireless router (access point). I have a wired ethernet system in the house.

1) One of the "near" neighbors has a Starlink antenna near their house. I wonder...

2) How far in the open can a "high power" WiFi router reach"

3) Can a WiFi router intermittently show an SSID? I thought that was a function that was either ON or OFF via a setting.

Further, this might be common in an urban area but it would be buried in the sea of WiFi noise. In the boondocks, most of the background electronic noise appears to be from satellites and cell towers (two miles away in my case).

Thank you for thinking about this.

Alexandru_BD

Hello,

"FBI Surveillance Van" is most likely a kid's joke, I mean, how obvious can they be. 😂

1. You can ask your neighbour for details about Starlink, tell them you are considering one. 😄
2. The industry standard for router signal is about 150 feet indoors and about 300 feet outside from most quality routers. This is what you can expect without obstructions and other problems that can limit coverage.
3. The router device might actually lose its Internet connection, or if it's on the move, the SSID can come and go. An intermittent SSID can also be caused by other factors, such as distance.