In the smart home era, personalization of equipment has become a necessity, and it's no longer a fad, when a ten-network list appears on a smartphone screen. Xiaomi_1234, Finding your own becomes a real challenge. Changing the wireless network ID (SSID) — This is the first step towards a competent organization of the home digital space.
The procedure for renaming a device from Chinese giant Xiaomi or sub-brand Redmi does not require a deep knowledge of network technology. However, there are several nuances that depend on the router model and the firmware version. In some cases, standard methods may not work due to data caching on client devices or the peculiarities of the Mesh protocol.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the ways to change the name of the access point, learn how to manage settings through the Mi Home mobile application and the classic web interface, and discuss the typical errors that users encounter when trying to make changes to the configuration of the wireless module.
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If you have a dual-band router, try to give different names for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to make it easier to manage the connection of old and new devices.
Why you need to rename your wireless network
The standard name assigned to the manufacturer usually contains the model of the device and the last digits. MAC-This is technical information that is useful to the engineer in diagnosis, but absolutely useless to the average user in everyday life.
In addition to convenience, changing the SSID (Service Set Identifier) increases security. Attackers often scan the airwaves for routers with vulnerabilities in specific models. If the network name indicates an exact model, such as the Xiaomi Router 4A Gigabit, it gives the hacker a clue about potential firmware vulnerabilities.
For owners of large apartments or homes with Mi Mesh, naming correctly is critical. When combining multiple routers into a single network, it often requires a clear understanding of which node is the main one and which is the daughter one. Logical names help to find the source of problems faster if the Internet speed on a certain area of the room decreases.
Preparation for changing the router settings
A stable connection is required before you make changes to the router configuration. Interrupting communication when you save the parameters can cause you to lose access to the admin panel. In the worst case, you will need to reset the hardware settings to factory values, which will entail the need to reconfigure the PPPoE or L2TP connection from the provider.
Make sure your control device (smartphone or laptop) is connected to the network you plan to edit. 4G/5G, Make sure that the router is linked to your account in the Mi Home app and appears online. IP-The gateway address that is most often equal to 192.168.31.1 or 192.168.1.1.
☑️ Preparation for setup
It's recommended that you come up with a new name in advance, and it should be unique in your environment to avoid addressing conflicts, use Latin letters, numbers, and some special symbols, and avoid Cyrillic, because older devices may not properly display Russian letters, showing a set of incomprehensible characters instead.
⚠️ Note: If you change the network name, all previously connected devices (TVs, lamps, phones) will lose communication with the router.
Change of name through the web interface of the administrator
The classic way to manage network equipment is to use a built-in web interface, which is versatile and suitable for most models, including the Xiaomi Mi Router. 3G, 4A and newer versions with Wi-Fi 6 support. To start, open any browser on a device connected to the router and type in the address bar IP-lock-house.
Once you enter the address, the system will request authorization. You will need to enter the administrator password. If you haven't changed it before, it may match the Wi-Fi password or be set when you first set it up. Once you successfully log in, you will be taken to the main status page, which displays the current CPU load and the number of connected customers.
To change the name, go to the settings section. The interface may vary depending on the firmware version (Chinese or global). Usually the path looks like Settings → Wi-Fi or Common Settings → Wireless. Find a field marked as SSID or Network Name and type in the desired value.
Typical path on the menu:
1. Enter 192.168.31.1 in the browser
2 Enter the Admin password
Press "Settings" (cogs)
4. Select "Wi-Fi settings"
5. Change the field "Name Wi-Fi"Once you type in the new name, be sure to click on the Save or Apply button. The router can restart the wireless module, which will take 10 to 30 seconds. At this time, the Internet will not work. If you have a dual-band router, be sure to check the settings for both frequency bands, as they are sometimes set up separately.
Using the Mi Home application for management
The Mi Home (or Xiaomi Home) mobile app provides a more modern and user-friendly interface for managing the smart home ecosystem, especially for new router models that don’t have a user-friendly web interface on mobile devices.
Run the app on your smartphone and find your router card on the home screen. Click on it to enter the control menu. Next, select "Wi-Fi settings" or the gear icon in the upper right corner. In the menu that opens, you will see a field with the current network name.
What to do if the app does not see the router?
Change the network name field. Some firmware versions have a Hide SSID feature that makes the network invisible to outsiders, but requires manually entering the name when new devices are connected. Once the settings are changed, the application will prompt you to apply the settings. The process takes a few seconds, after which the router will create a new access point with an updated ID.
The advantage of using the app is that it can quickly synchronize settings with other devices in the ecosystem. If you have a smart home scenario set up for a network connection, the app will automatically update the relevant settings, minimizing the risks of desynchronization.
Configuring dual-band networks and Mesh systems
Modern Xiaomi routers often support two frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. By default, many models use the networking function when the router decides what frequency to connect your device to. This is called Smart Connect.
If you want to manually divide networks to, for example, connect a smart bulb to only 2.4 GHz and a laptop to a fast 5 GHz, you'll need to turn off the unification function. In the web interface, this is usually done by unchecking the box "Combine 2.4G and 5G Wi-Fi." After that, two separate names fields will appear.
| Parameter | Range 2.4 GHz | 5 GHz range |
|---|---|---|
| Speed. | Up to 300-450 Mbps | Up to 1200+ Mbps |
| Range. | Tall, breaking through walls. | Medium, worse obstacles pass |
| Delays (Ping) | Higher, possible interference | Minimum, stable. |
| For what's better. | Smart home, IoT, old phones | 4K video, games, download files |
When you set up a Mi Mesh network, where multiple routers work as a single system, changing the name of the main network automatically spreads to all the subsidiaries. This is one of the main advantages of the technology. You don't have to rename each satellite separately; the system itself synchronizes SSIDs and passwords across all nodes.
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Separating the names for 2.4GHz and 5GHz gives more control over the devices’ connection, but requires manual reconfiguration of gadgets when switching between rooms.
Decision and typical errors
One of the common problems is when a user has changed their name, but the old name continues to appear on a computer or phone in the network list, which involves caching profiles in the operating system, and the device "remembers" the old configuration and tries to connect to it, ignoring the new broadcast information.
To solve this problem, you need to forget the network on the client device. In Windows, this is done through Managing Known Networks, in Android and iOS, through the Forget This Network button in the connection details, and then you need to re-search and connect to the network with a new name, entering the password again.
⚠️ Note: Some devices may not connect to the network if the name uses special characters or spaces. If you have connection problems, try leaving only Latin letters and numbers in the name.
Another mistake is losing access to the admin panel after the change IP-address DHCP, If they've been changed at the same time as the name. If you can't log in to the router's settings, try resetting the network settings on your computer or using the ipconfig command. /release and ipconfig /renew command-line IP-address.