Locking onto single wireless LAN

I've set up a wireless connection in my parents house between the PC and the
ADSL router, as the phone line is 20 metres away from where the PC is and my
parents (who are fairly old) don't want the hassle of installing extra phone
sockets, etc. The connection is all secured and I've got Windows Firewall
and ZoneAlarm on the PC to stop unauthorised access. Everything is working
dandy, except, there is a neighbour somewhere around where my parents live
who have an unsecured wireless LAN which my parents PC sometimes tries to
connect to, but fails because the single is too weak. However, whilst it's
doing this, my parents can't browse the internet, etc.

What I'd like to do is be able to have my parents PC only be able to connect
to their wireless LAN router and ignore any other wireless LANs that may be
around (there are actually three others around where they live but the other
two are secure and their PC never tries to connect to them, even though they
are stronger signals then the unsecured one it tries to connect to).

What can I do?

The ADSL router is a Thomson SpeedTouch 580 and the PC has a Thomson ST121
USB Adapter. The manual isn't particulalry helpful.

Wodger wrote:

> I've set up a wireless connection in my parents house between the PC and the
> ADSL router, as the phone line is 20 metres away from where the PC is and my
> parents (who are fairly old) don't want the hassle of installing extra phone
> sockets, etc. The connection is all secured and I've got Windows Firewall
> and ZoneAlarm on the PC to stop unauthorised access. Everything is working
> dandy, except, there is a neighbour somewhere around where my parents live
> who have an unsecured wireless LAN which my parents PC sometimes tries to
> connect to, but fails because the single is too weak. However, whilst it's
> doing this, my parents can't browse the internet, etc.
>
> What I'd like to do is be able to have my parents PC only be able to connect
> to their wireless LAN router and ignore any other wireless LANs that may be
> around (there are actually three others around where they live but the other
> two are secure and their PC never tries to connect to them, even though they
> are stronger signals then the unsecured one it tries to connect to).
>
> What can I do?
>
> The ADSL router is a Thomson SpeedTouch 580 and the PC has a Thomson ST121
> USB Adapter. The manual isn't particulalry helpful.

You've left out some important information. The following is based on 2
assumptions:

1. Your parents' PC is running Windows XP service pack 2
2. The ST121 supports Windows Wireless Autoconfiguration

Go to Network Connections, right click on the wireless connection icon, choose
Properties, click the Properties button, and select the Wireless Networks tab.
You should now be looking at something like the following:
http://tinyurl.com/8lmz4

Make sure there is a check in the box next to "Use Windows to configure my
wireless settings"
In the box under the heading "Preferred networks" highlight each of the entries
OTHER than your parents' router (I assume you've changed the default SSID to
something recognizable) and click the "Remove" button. When you're finished,
only your parents' network should be listed as a "preferred network."

If your parents' network isn't listed as a "preferred network," click the "Add"
button

Click the "Advanced" button (not the "Advanced" tab at the top). Make sure that
the box next to "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks" is cleared.

OK your way out and you should be done. See
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/com...uy/cg1102.mspx for more
detail.

If your folks have Centrino wireless adapter, it is possible to control it
with Proset utility and not by WZC. The feature is caled "mandatory AP".
Another option is dump wi-fi and use powerline adapters instead - no hassle at all.


Regards,
--PA


"Wodger" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:GQ1%f.32331$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've set up a wireless connection in my parents house between the PC and the ADSL router, as the phone line is 20 metres away
> from where the PC is and my parents (who are fairly old) don't want the hassle of installing extra phone sockets, etc. The
> connection is all secured and I've got Windows Firewall and ZoneAlarm on the PC to stop unauthorised access. Everything is
> working dandy, except, there is a neighbour somewhere around where my parents live who have an unsecured wireless LAN which my
> parents PC sometimes tries to connect to, but fails because the single is too weak. However, whilst it's doing this, my
> parents can't browse the internet, etc.
>
> What I'd like to do is be able to have my parents PC only be able to connect to their wireless LAN router and ignore any other
> wireless LANs that may be around (there are actually three others around where they live but the other two are secure and
> their PC never tries to connect to them, even though they are stronger signals then the unsecured one it tries to connect to).
>
> What can I do?
>
> The ADSL router is a Thomson SpeedTouch 580 and the PC has a Thomson ST121 USB Adapter. The manual isn't particulalry
> helpful.
>

> You've left out some important information. The following is based on 2
> assumptions:
>
> 1. Your parents' PC is running Windows XP service pack 2
> 2. The ST121 supports Windows Wireless Autoconfiguration
>
> Go to Network Connections, right click on the wireless connection icon,
> choose
> Properties, click the Properties button, and select the Wireless Networks
> tab.
> You should now be looking at something like the following:
> http://tinyurl.com/8lmz4
>
> Make sure there is a check in the box next to "Use Windows to configure my
> wireless settings"
> In the box under the heading "Preferred networks" highlight each of the
> entries
> OTHER than your parents' router (I assume you've changed the default SSID
> to
> something recognizable) and click the "Remove" button. When you're
> finished,
> only your parents' network should be listed as a "preferred network."
>
> If your parents' network isn't listed as a "preferred network," click the
> "Add"
> button
>
> Click the "Advanced" button (not the "Advanced" tab at the top). Make
> sure that
> the box next to "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks" is
> cleared.
>
> OK your way out and you should be done. See
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/com...uy/cg1102.mspx
> for more
> detail.
>

Ta very much - I will have a go tomorrow. And yes - they're running SP2 on
WinXP. Isn't (shouldn't) everyone???