The Book of Wireless, Second Edition

I don't know if I'm within range of a network.

Some wireless utilities detect and display the SSIDs of all nearby network signals, so you can often check for a signal by simply plugging in an adapter and running the status program.

For more detailed information about nearby networks, including their SSIDs, try using NetStumbler (available at http://www.netstumbler.com) to identify all the signals that your network adapter can find.