WiFi Name Generator

Three of each kind

Picked by this tool when the page was built. The note is what each kind of name is for.

• Puns Byte Me · Get Off My LAN · Lord of the Pings Wordplay on LAN, Wi-Fi, ping and bandwidth.
• Nerdy Schrodingers WiFi · Hello World · Error 418 Teapot In-jokes from networking and programming.
• For the neighbours Nice Garden Number 12 · Not Your Network · Yes the Dog Is Always Loud Passive-aggressive notes, broadcast to every phone on the street.
• Family Ask Your Father · Bedtime Network · Nap Zone Practical and gentle, for a house with children in it.
• Mysterious Searching · Unknown Signal · Loading Names that make people wonder what is going on in there.
• Prank warnings Spyware Central · Trojan Horse Stables · Free Malware Here Mock warnings. Funny to most people, alarming to a few — choose your street accordingly.

The 32-byte limit nobody mentions

A WiFi network's name — its SSID, or service set identifier — can be at most 32 bytes long. That limit comes from the WiFi standard itself, so every router enforces it, and it is the reason a name you type into your router's settings is sometimes simply refused.

The catch is that bytes are not characters. Plain English letters, digits and punctuation cost one byte each, so for an ordinary name the limit is 32 characters. An accented letter costs two. Most emoji cost four, and some — flags, skin tones, combined emoji — cost considerably more. A name can look short and still be too long:

Characters versus bytes

• Home Sweet Home 15 characters, 15 bytes Fits, with 17 bytes to spare.
• Café Wi-Fi 10 characters, 11 bytes Fits, with 21 bytes to spare.
• The Biscuit LAN 🐶 17 characters, 20 bytes Fits, with 12 bytes to spare.
• Please Stop Microwaving Fish 👀 30 characters, 33 bytes 1 bytes too long — a router will refuse it.

Every name the generator produces shows its size in bytes with a bar against the limit, and anything that will not fit is flagged and moved to the end. Already have a name in mind? Type it into Check a name you already like and it is measured as you type.

Six kinds of name

Puns

The largest family, built on the handful of networking words that rhyme with something: LAN with land, Wi-Fi with "why fly", ping with king. Pretty Fly for a WiFi and The LAN Before Time have been on routers for years because they work on everyone — you do not need to know anything about networks to get them.

Nerdy

Jokes for people who know what a 404 is. "Error 418 Teapot" refers to an April Fools' joke in an internet standard that defined a status code for a teapot refusing to brew coffee. "It's Always DNS" is the weary punchline of every network engineer's worst day. These land with exactly the right people and puzzle everyone else, which is the point.

For the neighbours

A WiFi name is broadcast to every phone within range, which makes it the most passive of passive-aggressive notes. "Please Stop Microwaving Fish" reaches the whole building without anyone having to knock on a door. Use with care: they are funnier to the sender than the recipient, and you will be living next to them for a while.

Family

Gentle, practical names for a house with children in it: Homework First, Dinner Is Ready, Ask Your Mother. Some families use the network name as a running household joke, changing it when the rules change.

Mysterious

Names designed to make people wonder: Unknown Signal, Signal From Below, You Have Been Noticed. Atmospheric rather than alarming.

Prank warnings

The mock-warning name — a surveillance van, a virus distribution centre — is a classic, and it is the one category switched off by default. Most people laugh. A few genuinely worry, especially anyone who is not confident with technology, and a name that frightens an elderly neighbour is not much of a joke. None of these names claim to be a real organisation or the police, and nor should yours: impersonating a real body is where a prank stops being harmless.

Words that should never go in a network name

Your network name is public. Anyone walking past with a phone can read it, and it is recorded by the many apps and services that map WiFi networks by location. Three things should stay out of it, and the tool warns you if the word you type looks like an address or a router brand:

• Your address or flat number. It ties the network, and anything else that can be learned about it, to your front door.
• Your surname. Combined with the location, it tells a stranger who lives in the house.
• Your router's brand or model. Default names often include it, and it tells anyone nearby what default password or known weakness to try. Removing that clue is the best reason to rename the network at all.

A pet's name, a hobby, a house name or an in-joke is safe, and makes a better network name anyway. Type one into A word of your own and some results are built around it.

Two bands, two names

Most modern routers broadcast on two frequencies: 2.4 GHz, which reaches further and goes through walls better, and 5 GHz, which is faster at shorter range. Some combine them under one name and steer each device automatically; others broadcast two names so you can choose.

The convention for the second name is a suffix, usually "-5G". That 5G means 5 GHz, not 5G mobile data, which confuses a lot of people. Tick Also make a 5 GHz name and every result comes with its twin, and both are checked against the limit — a name that fits on its own can tip over once three more bytes are added.

Changing the name on your router

Most internet providers now let you change it in their app. Otherwise, open a browser on a device connected to the network and type the router's address — commonly 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, and often printed on a sticker on the router itself. Log in, find the wireless settings, and change the field labelled Network name or SSID.

Every device will drop off and need to reconnect, because to your phone a new name is a new network. Change it when that is convenient, not ten minutes before guests arrive. While you are there, check the security setting says WPA2 or WPA3 and the password is a long one: that, not the name, is what keeps strangers off your network.

Naming a guest network

Many routers can run a separate guest network, which keeps visitors' phones and laptops off the network your own computers, printers and smart devices use. It deserves a name that makes its purpose obvious, so nobody joins the wrong one: your main name with "Guest" on the end is the clearest convention, and it fits the limit if your main name leaves eight bytes spare.

Give it a different password from your main network and change that password now and then. It is the one people write on a card for visitors.

Mesh systems and long names on phones

A mesh system — several units around the house working together — uses one name across all of them, and your devices move between units without you noticing. Name it once and the name applies everywhere.

On phones, long network names are often cut off in the list of available networks, so the end of a long joke can disappear. If the punchline is in the last word, try the name on your own phone before you commit to it.

When a neighbour has the same name

Your devices remember networks by name. If a nearby network shares yours — easy enough with a popular joke, and very common with untouched default names — phones and laptops can try to join the wrong one, fail on the password, and leave you wondering why the connection keeps dropping.

That is one more reason to choose something a little less obvious than the most famous puns, or to add a word of your own to make it unique. Before you change the name, look at the list of networks your phone can see and make sure nobody nearby is already using it.

Should you hide it?

Routers let you stop broadcasting the name, which sounds like a security feature and is not much of one. The network can still be found with basic tools, and your devices end up calling out the hidden name as they look for it, wherever you take them. It mainly makes adding a new device more fiddly. A good password does far more.

Related tools

The Username Generator builds handles from your own words, and the Team Name Generator has quiz-team names in the same spirit as the best network puns. For a name that is just for the household, the Nickname Generator may turn up something better.

Common questions

How long can a WiFi name be?

Up to 32 bytes, which is the limit set by the WiFi standard. For plain English letters that is 32 characters, but accented letters take two bytes and most emoji take four, so a name with emoji in it runs out of room much sooner. The generator measures every result in bytes, and the checker box measures any name you type.

Can I use emoji in my WiFi name?

Many routers accept them and many phones display them, but not all. Some routers only allow plain letters, numbers and punctuation, and some older devices show emoji as boxes. Each emoji also costs four of your 32 bytes. Tick Add an emoji to try it; anything with special characters is labelled.

How do I change my WiFi name?

Open your router’s settings — usually through your internet provider’s app, or by typing the router’s address, often 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, into a browser — and look for the wireless settings, where the name is labelled Network name or SSID. Save, and every device will need to reconnect using the new name and the same password.

Does changing the WiFi name make it more secure?

A little. The default name often reveals the router’s brand or model, which tells anyone nearby what default password or known weakness to try. Renaming removes that clue. Real security comes from a strong password and WPA2 or WPA3 encryption, which the name has nothing to do with.

What does 5G mean in a WiFi name?

Usually the 5 GHz band of a dual-band router, not 5G mobile data. Routers that broadcast on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz often use two names so you can choose: the 5 GHz one is faster at short range, the 2.4 GHz one reaches further. Tick Also make a 5 GHz name to get both, checked against the limit.

Should I hide my WiFi name?

It is not worth it for security. A hidden network still broadcasts enough for anyone with basic tools to find it, and your devices end up announcing the name as they search for it. It mostly makes connecting new devices more awkward.