Strange mirror network with hex ID name.

[Mr Zippy]

Just setup a new BT8, currently just the main router as not got around to setting up node yet. I only have 2.4 and 5 ghz clients.

Anyway I see two what appear to be mirror networks if I scan wifi that have what look like hex IDs at the broadcast name. The MAC IDs are almost identical to the main network as is the RSSI, if I change channel they move with it.

What’s going on?

I can’t see this in the ASUS web UI.

 

[ColinTaylor]

IIRC this has been reported before and it's something to do with AiMesh. I'd hazard a guess that it's the mechanism by which AiMesh nodes join a network.

EDIT: See post #4.

 

[Poul Bak]

I would rather think (this is also just a guess) that it is related to MLO or just SSIDs with multi channels.
MLO creates a hidden SSID for each band, that is included in the MLO.
I have never used AIMesh and I have seen it too - on both my routers.
It typically happens right after you have changed some wifi settings (haven't seen it lately). My guess is that has not yet hidden those SSIDs causing them to display for a while.

 

[ColinTaylor]

This is one of the threads I was thinking about: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/mystery-ssid-keeps-appearing-and-disappearing-and-changing.84617/

It predates the MLO capable routers so it's probably not that. That thread was inconclusive but it seems to indicate WPA3 as a possible cause.

 

[Mr Zippy]

Thanks for comments, my last router was AX88U where I used WPA3 and AiMesh, so I don't think it's that as I don't recall seeing. Maybe is due to the fact I got a twin pack BT8, and this is how the 2nd router connects as set at the factory. I will do some more digging, just move to a new country so this is the least of my worries!

 

[degrub]

Should be MAC address of each device on a label or printed on the device. Maybe that will correlate to what you are seeing.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Should be MAC address of each device on a label or printed on the device. Maybe that will correlate to what you are seeing.

I think what he's calling a MAC ID is the BSSID. So it makes sense that it would be the same as his router's other BSSIDs, with just one or two digits different.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Thanks for comments, my last router was AX88U where I used WPA3 and AiMesh, so I don't think it's that as I don't recall seeing. Maybe is due to the fact I got a twin pack BT8, and this is how the 2nd router connects as set at the factory. I will do some more digging, just move to a new country so this is the least of my worries!

I can confirm the finding in the other thread that setting the 2.4GHz channel to "WPA3-Personal" will create this additional SSID (e.g. 46EFA15C597473F0B0BAE0CE2F731788). It doesn't appear to do the same on 5GHz and neither does it if you use "WPA2/WPA3-Personal". Whether this SSID is intentional, or whether it appears in other circumstances I couldn't say.

Strangely, the Wi-Fi scanner on my phone couldn't see this extra SSID but my laptop could.