Help! Choosing (or excluding) wireless router by MAC address.

Hello all,

I have a strange problem on my XP machine: there are multiple routers
in my building with the SSID of 'linksys'. I am trying to connect to
only one of them, owned by a friend. We cannot change the router's
ssid. My XP system can't tell the various linksys's apart, and can't
even show that it sees multiple ones. It just connects to one almost
at random.

How can I pick the one I connect to, either by channel or MAC address?
If this is impossible with the standard protocols, is there any
(hopefully free) software that will help me?

Thanks!
Loki

If one is owned by a friend, it would seem he would have the ability to
change the SSID of his AP.

--
Bob Alston

"Loki" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Hello all,
>
> I have a strange problem on my XP machine: there are multiple routers
> in my building with the SSID of 'linksys'. I am trying to connect to
> only one of them, owned by a friend. We cannot change the router's
> ssid. My XP system can't tell the various linksys's apart, and can't
> even show that it sees multiple ones. It just connects to one almost
> at random.
>
> How can I pick the one I connect to, either by channel or MAC address?
> If this is impossible with the standard protocols, is there any
> (hopefully free) software that will help me?
>
> Thanks!
> Loki


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.725 / Virus Database: 480 - Release Date: 7/19/2004

On 23 Jul 2004 07:02:18 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) (Loki) wrote:

>I have a strange problem on my XP machine: there are multiple routers
>in my building with the SSID of 'linksys'. I am trying to connect to
>only one of them, owned by a friend. We cannot change the router's
>ssid.

Why can't you change the SSID? Is it a technical or political
problem? If political, please buy your "friend" a suitable intoxicant
and suggest that this would be a great time to change the SSID to
something more distinctive. If technical, point your web browser at
the access points IP address, login as admin, no password, and change
it for him. Anyone that leaves the SSID at the default value is
equally unlikely to have changed the password, default channel,
enabled security, etc.

>My XP system can't tell the various linksys's apart, and can't
>even show that it sees multiple ones. It just connects to one almost
>at random.

Well, if they were on different channels (1, 6, or 11), you would also
know to which one you've connected.

You can use the ARP table to determine which one you've connected.
Start -> Run -> cmd -> arp -a
The MAC address should be listed. If not, ping the router and it
should appear.

>How can I pick the one I connect to, either by channel or MAC address?

To the best of my limited knowledge, you can't. In my never humble
opinion, this is a stupid problem unworthy of solving and should be
dealt with by a change of SSID.

>If this is impossible with the standard protocols, is there any
>(hopefully free) software that will help me?
>
>Thanks!
>Loki

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558