diff --git a/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/tests/test-ifcfg-rh.c b/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/tests/test-ifcfg-rh.c
index 2e61e4b2c4..6e873fe82b 100644
--- a/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/tests/test-ifcfg-rh.c
+++ b/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/tests/test-ifcfg-rh.c
@@ -6329,6 +6329,8 @@ test_write_wifi_open (void)
 	guint32 channel = 9, mtu = 1345;
 	GByteArray *mac;
 	const unsigned char mac_data[] = { 0xaa, 0xbb, 0xcc, 0xdd, 0xee, 0xff };
+	shvarFile *ifcfg;
+	char *tmp;
 
 	connection = nm_connection_new ();
 	ASSERT (connection != NULL,
@@ -6423,6 +6425,22 @@ test_write_wifi_open (void)
 	                               &route6file,
 	                               &error,
 	                               &ignore_error);
+
+	/* Now make sure that the ESSID item isn't double-quoted (rh #606518) */
+	ifcfg = svNewFile (testfile);
+	ASSERT (ifcfg != NULL,
+	        "wifi-open-write-reread", "failed to load %s as shvarfile", testfile);
+
+	tmp = svGetValue (ifcfg, "ESSID", TRUE);
+	ASSERT (tmp != NULL,
+	        "wifi-open-write-reread", "failed to read ESSID key from %s", testfile);
+
+	g_message (tmp);
+	ASSERT (strncmp (tmp, "\"\"", 2) != 0,
+	        "wifi-open-write-reread", "unexpected ESSID double-quote in %s", testfile);
+
+	svCloseFile (ifcfg);
+
 	unlink (testfile);
 
 	ASSERT (reread != NULL,
diff --git a/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/writer.c b/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/writer.c
index 2d206c7354..90a7549c15 100644
--- a/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/writer.c
+++ b/system-settings/plugins/ifcfg-rh/writer.c
@@ -768,13 +768,20 @@ write_wireless_setting (NMConnection *connection,
 		svSetValue (ifcfg, "ESSID", str->str, TRUE);
 		g_string_free (str, TRUE);
 	} else {
-		/* Printable SSIDs get quoted */
+		/* Printable SSIDs always get quoted */
 		memset (buf, 0, sizeof (buf));
 		memcpy (buf, ssid->data, ssid->len);
-		tmp2 = svEscape (buf);
-		tmp = g_strdup_printf ("\"%s\"", tmp2);
-		svSetValue (ifcfg, "ESSID", tmp, TRUE);
-		g_free (tmp2);
+		tmp = svEscape (buf);
+
+		/* svEscape will usually quote the string, but just for consistency,
+		 * if svEscape doesn't quote the ESSID, we quote it ourselves.
+		 */
+		if (tmp[0] != '"' && tmp[strlen (tmp) - 1] != '"') {
+			tmp2 = g_strdup_printf ("\"%s\"", tmp);
+			svSetValue (ifcfg, "ESSID", tmp2, TRUE);
+			g_free (tmp2);
+		} else
+			svSetValue (ifcfg, "ESSID", tmp, TRUE);
 		g_free (tmp);
 	}