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Can an SSID Have Unicode Characters?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:35 pm
by mbolgian
Does anyone know if you are SUPPOSED to be able to put Unicode characters in a wireless router's SSID? This one line from my summary.txt field caused me untold hours of frustration this past weekend:

N 31.3258050 W 92.4660250 ( ÜMCD Bridge ) BSS ( 00:06:11:01:1a:d5 ) 16:21:38 (GMT) [ 34 83 49 ] # ( ) 0001 00000408 100 110 0

Notice the "Ü" character at the beginning of the SSID.

I was using the MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP component to grab a summary.txt file from a remote location so I could write it to a file and parse it. Apparently, the component will crap out if the text has unicode characters in it. My summary.txt file was 4,458 lines, and I suspected that a Unicode character was the cause, but I wasn't about to read through the whole thing to find it. So I started custting my file in half and trying to grab it again remotely. After a few recursions, I found it, in the line above. I removed the character and it grabs and writes the file just fine now.

So is Unicode part of the allowed spec? Because if not, that means my file may have gotten corrupted somewhere along the line, somehow.

But for now, I'll just use Replace(grabbedtxt, "Ü", "") to handle this. :)

PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:53 pm
by streaker69
mbolgian wrote:Does anyone know if you are SUPPOSED to be able to put Unicode characters in a wireless router's SSID? This one line from my summary.txt field caused me untold hours of frustration this past weekend:

N 31.3258050 W 92.4660250 ( ÜMCD Bridge ) BSS ( 00:06:11:01:1a:d5 ) 16:21:38 (GMT) [ 34 83 49 ] # ( ) 0001 00000408 100 110 0

Notice the "Ü" character at the beginning of the SSID.

I was using the MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP component to grab a summary.txt file from a remote location so I could write it to a file and parse it. Apparently, the component will crap out if the text has unicode characters in it. My summary.txt file was 4,458 lines, and I suspected that a Unicode character was the cause, but I wasn't about to read through the whole thing to find it. So I started custting my file in half and trying to grab it again remotely. After a few recursions, I found it, in the line above. I removed the character and it grabs and writes the file just fine now.

So is Unicode part of the allowed spec? Because if not, that means my file may have gotten corrupted somewhere along the line, somehow.

But for now, I'll just use Replace(grabbedtxt, "Ü", "") to handle this. :)


I wouldn't see any reason why Unicode characters wouldn't be allowed. I have seen some SSID's with funky characters blow up scripts before.

You could also have a corrupted NS1 file that needs to be repaired.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:41 pm
by Dutch
mbolgian wrote:Does anyone know if you are SUPPOSED to be able to put Unicode characters in a wireless router's SSID? This one line from my summary.txt field caused me untold hours of frustration this past weekend:

N 31.3258050 W 92.4660250 ( Ü] # ( ) 0001 00000408 100 110 0

Notice the "Ü" character at the beginning of the SSID.

I was using the MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP component to grab a summary.txt file from a remote location so I could write it to a file and parse it. Apparently, the component will crap out if the text has unicode characters in it. My summary.txt file was 4,458 lines, and I suspected that a Unicode character was the cause, but I wasn't about to read through the whole thing to find it. So I started custting my file in half and trying to grab it again remotely. After a few recursions, I found it, in the line above. I removed the character and it grabs and writes the file just fine now.

So is Unicode part of the allowed spec? Because if not, that means my file may have gotten corrupted somewhere along the line, somehow.

But for now, I'll just use Replace(grabbedtxt, "Ü", "") to handle this. :)


Ü is not unicode, it is extended ASCII (8 bit ASCII). And it is valid in a SSID. AFAIR from the
802.11 specs, the SSID is not limited in what characters it can contain, but only in the length of the textstring.

Dutch

PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:10 pm
by renderman
The standard is for support of the full ASCII charachter set. I don't think that Unicode is accepted (at least from my research)

I also found that some AP's scrub the SSID for funky characters, so YMMV

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:02 am
by mbolgian
Thanks for correcting me, Dutch. That character is indeed not part of the Unicode character set.

Well I did some more research, and the 802.11 spec mentions nothing about Unicode characters.

I also tried to put a Unicode character in my WRT54GL router and it gave me this nice error message:

Image

It also wouldn't let me put in extended ASCII characters. But apparently some APs will let you put them in there, since they show up in logs from time to time.

So I guess the answer is no, Unicode is not allowed. Which has nothing to do with my original post since the character in question was not Unicode as Dutch pointed out.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:23 am
by brwrdrvr
mbolgian wrote:Thanks for correcting me, Dutch. That character is indeed not part of the Unicode character set.

Well I did some more research, and the 802.11 spec mentions nothing about Unicode characters.

I also tried to put a Unicode character in my WRT54GL router and it gave me this nice error message:

Image

It also wouldn't let me put in extended ASCII characters. But apparently some APs will let you put them in there, since they show up in logs from time to time.

So I guess the answer is no, Unicode is not allowed. Which has nothing to do with my original post since the character in question was not Unicode as Dutch pointed out.


So you are doing it again,huh? Posting before thinking.

Here's your award.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:42 am
by mbolgian
brwardriver: When I made my original post, I didn't know that the character in question wasn't Unicode.

I'm sorry that you feel I have to know all the answers before asking a question. Please follow Dutch's example and actually contribute something useful when you post a reply in a thread.

There's also the option of not replying at all, something you seem to be unable to avoid.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:53 am
by Starpoint
mbolgian wrote:brwardriver: When I made my original post, I didn't know that the character in question wasn't Unicode.

I'm sorry that you feel I have to know all the answers before asking a question. Please follow Dutch's example and actually contribute something useful when you post a reply in a thread.

There's also the option of not replying at all, something you seem to be unable to avoid.


SMACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:01 am
by brwrdrvr
mbolgian wrote:brwardriver: When I made my original post, I didn't know that the character in question wasn't Unicode.

I'm sorry that you feel I have to know all the answers before asking a question. Please follow Dutch's example and actually contribute something useful when you post a reply in a thread.

There's also the option of not replying at all, something you seem to be unable to avoid.


1) You seem to do that a lot. Unicode or ascii are not new things. If you come in here be prepared for a flaming if you post something wrong. If you don't like it, leave with my and everyone elses blessings.

2) Nope, that is never an option.

3) If you weren't such a fucktard or if you would realize you are a fucktard you would at least have a clue about what you have been doing in the forum. You might even gain a little respect in the forum. Come on man, step forward, start with your name and admit you are a fucktard.

4) If you would read/search/learn you wouldn't be getting so many useless posts in your threads. It would have only taken a few minutes to find the answer you needed about the unicode question you posted. You might not have found it here in the forum, but google is your friend as well.

5) As long as I am here you or anyone will get useless posts in a thread. It's wha I do. It's what I live for. Now STFU or go away.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:04 am
by wrzwaldo
mbolgian wrote:brwardriver: When I made my original post, I didn't know that the character in question wasn't Unicode.

I'm sorry that you feel I have to know all the answers before asking a question. Please follow Dutch's example and actually contribute something useful when you post a reply in a thread.

There's also the option of not replying at all, something you seem to be unable to avoid.


Well you are about to get me started again. Did you think to check and see if the character was unicode before you posted? Looks to me like you assumed, and we all know what happens when one assumes! How long would it have taken you to check? Hey if you want to learn about 802.11 then get the specification and fucking read it.


http://www.unicode.org/charts/

http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/11/

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:11 am
by brwrdrvr
@Mbolgian

Oh My Fucking God!!!!

I Googled 802.11 specs. This was the first hit at the top of the page. Now fucktard how is that for a useful post. Kiss my ass and go read it before I get really nasty.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:20 am
by Barry
brwrdrvr wrote:@Mbolgian

Oh My Fucking God!!!!

I Googled 802.11 specs. This was the first hit at the top of the page. Now fucktard how is that for a useful post. Kiss my ass and go read it before I get really nasty.



You get nasty?? :D

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:25 am
by wrzwaldo
@Mbolgian,

Just in case you are unable to find it...

http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/802.11.html

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:31 am
by brwrdrvr
Barry wrote:You get nasty?? :D


Yea, sometimes I get really nasty as well. :D

PostPosted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:32 am
by mbolgian
I had a feeling that search methods would come up in this discussion. I do actually have the PDF copy of the 802.11 spec. Search for the word Unicode. It's not in there. My point being, they make no mention of whether Unicode is allowed or not. The only information I could find about the SSID was it's length of 32 octets.

I searched all the forum areas for "unicode" and found six threads, none of which answered my question. When someone links me to a thread that does, I will shut up.

I did search Google before I started a thread here. I couldn't find it on Google either. I did find one page where a guy was running into the same problem I was, but as for the answer to Unicode support, it wasn't in there. Again, if someone links me to a website with a definitive answer, I will admit that my search skills are lacking.

brwrdrvr: Your link to that first Google hit does nothing to answer my original question about Unicode character support. So technically your reply is still useless, but I will give you credit for trying.

I'm not saying I don't deserve to get flamed if I post wrong info before fully researching it, nor do I expect a thread to be filled with 100% useful replies. I'm just making an observation that you can't seem to help yourself when the opportunity presents itself. At least you're honest, and I appreciate that.