Five years ago, from within his Los Angeles apartment, Ryan Denehy got a first impression of some neighbors before meeting, or even seeing them, in person. Popping up on his computer screen, the name of their Wi-Fi was not the customary amalgam of letters and numbers but appeared to refer, slangily, to a part of the female anatomy.
“I would always see this one network name that seemed inappropriate. I wondered, ‘Who is this is, and what does it mean?'” said Denehy, 30, who later befriended the guys responsible, who lived downstairs. “I got the whole back story. Turned out, it was an inside joke that went totally over my head.”
Phew!
Denehy is the CEO of Electric, which manages more than 100 Wi-Fi networks in New York City annually, and has configured connections with names like DropItLikeIts Hotspot, Abraham Linksys (a router brand pun) and BeckyWithTheGoodHair (which refers to a Beyoncé song).
Network names have gone from being boring digit chains to an opportunity for personalization, like vanity plates or monogrammed towels. “You name your Wi-Fi so you don’t have to read the overly lengthy digit code and password to visitors, but also to authentically create a moment of levity, to tell your friend something they may not know about you,” said Natalie Zfat, 31, a social media entrepreneur in New York City.