Change Default Wireless behaviour

Hi

I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to create
some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and works
really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP setting
"Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when multiple
laptops come together.
What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have this
checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.

Is this possible and if so then how?

If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff scripts etc.

This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as that is
too rigid.

Thanks in advance

F

Hi
I do not know why you are using Ad-Hoc, you probably would be better of with
normal infrastructure.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

"Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:228A93B8-1729-425E-9EDF-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi
>
> I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to create
> some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and
> works
> really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP
> setting
> "Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
> connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when multiple
> laptops come together.
> What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have
> this
> checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.
>
> Is this possible and if so then how?
>
> If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
> existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff scripts
> etc.
>
> This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as that
> is
> too rigid.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> F

Ridiculous response. If you read the question you will notice it states
'offsite'. Are you actually employed by this board? If so how do I make a
complaint?

If your answer to a legitimate question is "don't use it" then please stop
wasting my time.


"Jack (MVP-Networking)." wrote:

> Hi
> I do not know why you are using Ad-Hoc, you probably would be better of with
> normal infrastructure.
> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>
> "Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:228A93B8-1729-425E-9EDF-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi
> >
> > I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to create
> > some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and
> > works
> > really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP
> > setting
> > "Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
> > connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when multiple
> > laptops come together.
> > What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have
> > this
> > checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.
> >
> > Is this possible and if so then how?
> >
> > If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
> > existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff scripts
> > etc.
> >
> > This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as that
> > is
> > too rigid.
> >
> > Thanks in advance
> >
> > F
>
>
>

Hi

Since your time is so valuable, you should not waste it on writing impolite
treating follow-ups on a voluntary public BBS.

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:6B7B00D5-F4F2-4DB7-8563-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Ridiculous response. If you read the question you will notice it states
> 'offsite'. Are you actually employed by this board? If so how do I make
> a
> complaint?
>
> If your answer to a legitimate question is "don't use it" then please stop
> wasting my time.
>
>
> "Jack (MVP-Networking)." wrote:
>
>> Hi
>> I do not know why you are using Ad-Hoc, you probably would be better of
>> with
>> normal infrastructure.
>> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>>
>> "Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:228A93B8-1729-425E-9EDF-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> > Hi
>> >
>> > I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to
>> > create
>> > some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and
>> > works
>> > really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP
>> > setting
>> > "Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
>> > connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when
>> > multiple
>> > laptops come together.
>> > What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have
>> > this
>> > checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.
>> >
>> > Is this possible and if so then how?
>> >
>> > If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
>> > existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff
>> > scripts
>> > etc.
>> >
>> > This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as
>> > that
>> > is
>> > too rigid.
>> >
>> > Thanks in advance
>> >
>> > F
>>
>>
>>

Fran Cripps wrote:
> Ridiculous response. If you read the question you will notice it states
> 'offsite'. Are you actually employed by this board? If so how do I make a
> complaint?
>
> If your answer to a legitimate question is "don't use it" then please stop
> wasting my time.
>
>
> "Jack (MVP-Networking)." wrote:
>
>> Hi
>> I do not know why you are using Ad-Hoc, you probably would be better of with
>> normal infrastructure.
>> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>>
>> "Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:228A93B8-1729-425E-9EDF-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Hi
>>>
>>> I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to create
>>> some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and
>>> works
>>> really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP
>>> setting
>>> "Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
>>> connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when multiple
>>> laptops come together.
>>> What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have
>>> this
>>> checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.
>>>
>>> Is this possible and if so then how?
>>>
>>> If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
>>> existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff scripts
>>> etc.
>>>
>>> This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as that
>>> is
>>> too rigid.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance
>>>
>>> F
>>
>>
First of all, no one is "employed by this board." If you used a
newsreader instead of the clunky web interface, you might have realized
that this is a newsgroup, not a web site. Further, all of the
responders in this newsgroup are individual volunteers, not Microsoft
employees.

As to your issue, this is a "feature" of Windows Wireless Zero
Configuration. By design, anytime a connection is made to a new
wireless network, the SSID of that network gets added to the top of the
"Preferred networks" list. As you observed, this design feature can
cause problems, and not just with ad hoc network connections. As far as
I know, there is no easy way around this behavior. I don't know if this
interface is amenable to scripting; I kinda doubt it.

What happens if you click the "Advanced" button on the "Wireless Network
Connection Properties" dialog and select "Access point (infrastructure)
networks only"? Does this prevent you from manually connecting to an
in-range ad hoc network? I don't know; I've not tried it; and I don't
have my wifi computer here to test.

One solution to the problem is to remove the ad hoc network SSIDs from
the Preferred network list. The problem with attempting to automate
such a process, as for example, writing a log-off script that deletes
appropriate registry keys, is that you won't know the name(s) of the
SSIDs to delete. You could purge the entire list, but that would get
rid of your access point SSIDs as well.

Perhaps, if you trust your employees enough to create ad hoc networks,
you can get them to delete them when they are through. From the "Choose
a wireless network" page, they can click on the link to "change the
order of preferred networks" and then delete the entry for their
newly-created ad hoc network.



--
Lem MS MVP -- Networking

To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

Lem, thanks for your response. Noted this is a public board, however I
cannot for the life of me understand why someone would bother trying to
answer a question that they clearly don't know the answer to, hence my query.
It is like someone posting on a car website to a question about a gearbox
with the answer "have you tried not changing gear", ridiculous. Anyway I
digress.

Thanks for your input. WZC really does seem a clunky after thought, I've
seen the netsh wireless additions in Vista and that looks like it's moving
forward but that doesn't help me right now! Anyway, from your suggestions
I'm going to try blanket deleting preferred networks, this is a sledgehammer
but will at least achieve what I need now.

Thanks

"Lem" wrote:

> Fran Cripps wrote:
> > Ridiculous response. If you read the question you will notice it states
> > 'offsite'. Are you actually employed by this board? If so how do I make a
> > complaint?
> >
> > If your answer to a legitimate question is "don't use it" then please stop
> > wasting my time.
> >
> >
> > "Jack (MVP-Networking)." wrote:
> >
> >> Hi
> >> I do not know why you are using Ad-Hoc, you probably would be better of with
> >> normal infrastructure.
> >> Jack (MVP-Networking).
> >>
> >> "Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> >> news:228A93B8-1729-425E-9EDF-(E-Mail Removed)...
> >>> Hi
> >>>
> >>> I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to create
> >>> some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and
> >>> works
> >>> really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP
> >>> setting
> >>> "Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
> >>> connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when multiple
> >>> laptops come together.
> >>> What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have
> >>> this
> >>> checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.
> >>>
> >>> Is this possible and if so then how?
> >>>
> >>> If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
> >>> existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff scripts
> >>> etc.
> >>>
> >>> This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as that
> >>> is
> >>> too rigid.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks in advance
> >>>
> >>> F
> >>
> >>
> First of all, no one is "employed by this board." If you used a
> newsreader instead of the clunky web interface, you might have realized
> that this is a newsgroup, not a web site. Further, all of the
> responders in this newsgroup are individual volunteers, not Microsoft
> employees.
>
> As to your issue, this is a "feature" of Windows Wireless Zero
> Configuration. By design, anytime a connection is made to a new
> wireless network, the SSID of that network gets added to the top of the
> "Preferred networks" list. As you observed, this design feature can
> cause problems, and not just with ad hoc network connections. As far as
> I know, there is no easy way around this behavior. I don't know if this
> interface is amenable to scripting; I kinda doubt it.
>
> What happens if you click the "Advanced" button on the "Wireless Network
> Connection Properties" dialog and select "Access point (infrastructure)
> networks only"? Does this prevent you from manually connecting to an
> in-range ad hoc network? I don't know; I've not tried it; and I don't
> have my wifi computer here to test.
>
> One solution to the problem is to remove the ad hoc network SSIDs from
> the Preferred network list. The problem with attempting to automate
> such a process, as for example, writing a log-off script that deletes
> appropriate registry keys, is that you won't know the name(s) of the
> SSIDs to delete. You could purge the entire list, but that would get
> rid of your access point SSIDs as well.
>
> Perhaps, if you trust your employees enough to create ad hoc networks,
> you can get them to delete them when they are through. From the "Choose
> a wireless network" page, they can click on the link to "change the
> order of preferred networks" and then delete the entry for their
> newly-created ad hoc network.
>
>
>
> --
> Lem MS MVP -- Networking
>
> To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
>

Hi

Taking the risk of being once more scolded, or and threatened .

Might be that one of the Net Switching type of application can functionally
solve the issue.

http://www.mobilenetswitch.com/

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"Lem" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Fran Cripps wrote:
>> Ridiculous response. If you read the question you will notice it states
>> 'offsite'. Are you actually employed by this board? If so how do I make
>> a complaint?
>>
>> If your answer to a legitimate question is "don't use it" then please
>> stop wasting my time.
>>
>>
>> "Jack (MVP-Networking)." wrote:
>>
>>> Hi
>>> I do not know why you are using Ad-Hoc, you probably would be better of
>>> with normal infrastructure.
>>> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>>>
>>> "Fran Cripps" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:228A93B8-1729-425E-9EDF-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> Hi
>>>>
>>>> I have an issue with XP SP2 wireless networking. We allow users to
>>>> create
>>>> some adhoc peer to peer WLANs, this is for offsite business reasons and
>>>> works
>>>> really well. However we are starting to find a problem with the XP
>>>> setting
>>>> "Connect when this net work is in range" which basically sets every
>>>> connection to 'Automatic'. This is causing major headaches when
>>>> multiple
>>>> laptops come together.
>>>> What I would like is the ability for new connections to default to have
>>>> this
>>>> checkbox unchecked so all new connections are by default 'On Demand'.
>>>>
>>>> Is this possible and if so then how?
>>>>
>>>> If not is it possible to manipulate wireless connections via scripts so
>>>> existing connections could be set to 'on demand' in login\logoff
>>>> scripts etc.
>>>>
>>>> This is too flexible to use the AD Group Policy Wireless function as
>>>> that is
>>>> too rigid.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance
>>>>
>>>> F
>>>
>>>
> First of all, no one is "employed by this board." If you used a
> newsreader instead of the clunky web interface, you might have realized
> that this is a newsgroup, not a web site. Further, all of the responders
> in this newsgroup are individual volunteers, not Microsoft employees.
>
> As to your issue, this is a "feature" of Windows Wireless Zero
> Configuration. By design, anytime a connection is made to a new wireless
> network, the SSID of that network gets added to the top of the "Preferred
> networks" list. As you observed, this design feature can cause problems,
> and not just with ad hoc network connections. As far as I know, there is
> no easy way around this behavior. I don't know if this interface is
> amenable to scripting; I kinda doubt it.
>
> What happens if you click the "Advanced" button on the "Wireless Network
> Connection Properties" dialog and select "Access point (infrastructure)
> networks only"? Does this prevent you from manually connecting to an
> in-range ad hoc network? I don't know; I've not tried it; and I don't
> have my wifi computer here to test.
>
> One solution to the problem is to remove the ad hoc network SSIDs from the
> Preferred network list. The problem with attempting to automate such a
> process, as for example, writing a log-off script that deletes appropriate
> registry keys, is that you won't know the name(s) of the SSIDs to delete.
> You could purge the entire list, but that would get rid of your access
> point SSIDs as well.
>
> Perhaps, if you trust your employees enough to create ad hoc networks, you
> can get them to delete them when they are through. From the "Choose a
> wireless network" page, they can click on the link to "change the order of
> preferred networks" and then delete the entry for their newly-created ad
> hoc network.
>
>
>
> --
> Lem MS MVP -- Networking
>
> To the moon and back with 64 Kbits of RAM and 512 Kbits of ROM.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer