Preferred Network Switching

Hi All

Got a brand new laptop running WinXP Pro SP2.

Set it up to access a wireless network (no encryption - MAC control) in the
office and one at home (128bit WEP - no MAC control).

All done through WinXP's wireless part of the wireless network connection.

Using built-in WLAN card on a Fujitsu Siemens laptop.

Even though the Advanced properties shows 2 wireless entries (home then
office in the list), the laptop isn't auto-picking up the office after first
looking at the home connection.

I have to go into the Network properties / Adanced Settings / Wireless
Networks / etc and move the office entry up to the top for it to kick in.

The end user is taking it home to continue working on it and I've just got
this horrible feeling that they are going to have to go into the bowels of
the network connection to put the Home one back up to the top.

Surely the sys should check for the Home one, doesn't exist so move to the
next one, ie the Office one, or am I asking too much? :0)

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

Is there any switch script/app I could use so that the end user just clicks
on the relevant one from their desktop?

Thanks

Blackberry wrote:
> Hi All
>
> Got a brand new laptop running WinXP Pro SP2.
>
> Set it up to access a wireless network (no encryption - MAC control) in the
> office and one at home (128bit WEP - no MAC control).
>
> All done through WinXP's wireless part of the wireless network connection.
>
> Using built-in WLAN card on a Fujitsu Siemens laptop.
>
> Even though the Advanced properties shows 2 wireless entries (home then
> office in the list), the laptop isn't auto-picking up the office after first
> looking at the home connection.
>
> I have to go into the Network properties / Adanced Settings / Wireless
> Networks / etc and move the office entry up to the top for it to kick in.
>
> The end user is taking it home to continue working on it and I've just got
> this horrible feeling that they are going to have to go into the bowels of
> the network connection to put the Home one back up to the top.
>
> Surely the sys should check for the Home one, doesn't exist so move to the
> next one, ie the Office one, or am I asking too much? :0)
>
> Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?
>
> Is there any switch script/app I could use so that the end user just clicks
> on the relevant one from their desktop?
>
> Thanks
>
>

Didn't like the answers you got to your identical post in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web?

Aside from the network-switching utilities described in the answers you
have already been given, the behavior you want actually IS the way that
Windows wireless autoconfiguration works IF

(a) you are using Windows to control the wireless adapters and not some
utility provided by the laptop mfr, and
(b) you have checked the box to "connect when this network is in range"
which (IIRC) is the default (to get to this settings, select each entry
in the list of "preferred networks" and click the "properties" button,
then click the "connection" tab).

I assume that you didn't mean that "Advanced properties shows 2 wireless
entries." The list of Preferred networks is on the "wireless networks"
tab of the regular "wireless network connection properties" dialog --
not the "advanced" section:
http://screenshots.modemhelp.net/scr...ks/Index.shtml

For a description of how Windows wireless autoconfiguration works, see
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/com...uy/cg1102.mspx

["Wireless Auto Configuration attempts to connect to the preferred
networks that appear in the list of available networks in the preferred
networks preference order, if the preferred networks are configured to
automatically connect (the Connect when this network is within range
checkbox is selected on the Connection tab for the properties of the
preferred wireless network). If there are no successful connections,
Wireless Auto Configuration attempts to connect to the preferred
networks that do not appear in the list of available networks, in the
preferred networks preference order."]

And BTW, dump the WEP encryption and the MAC filters and implement WPA2
(or WPA if your hardware doesn't support WPA2). Neither WEP nor MAC
filtering provides any real security. Nor, for that matter, does SSID
broadcast suppression. Why non-broadcast networks are not a security
feature: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l...6942.aspx#EDAA

And check to see if the Wireless Client Update for Windows XP with
Service Pack 2 has been installed
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=917021






--
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
Pre configuration for differnt environment can help.
How to Configure a Laptop (or any computer) to connect to more than one
Network? http://www.ezlan.net/faq.html#fewtcp-ip
As for security.
From the weakest to the strongest, Wireless security capacity is.

No Security
MAC______(Band Aid if nothing else is available).
WEP64____(Easy, to "Brake" by knowledgeable people).
WEP128___(A little Harder, but "Hackable" too).
WPA-PSK__(Very Hard to Brake ).
WPA-AES__(Not functionally Breakable)
WPA2____ (Not functionally Breakable).

Note 1: WPA-AES the the current entry level rendition of WPA2.

Note 2: If you use WinXP and did not updated it you would have to download
the WPA2 patch from Microsoft. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893357

The documentation of your Wireless devices (Wireless Router, and Wireless
Computer's Card) should state the type of security that is available with
your Wireless hardware.

All devices MUST be set to the same security level using the same pass
phrase.

Therefore the security must be set according what ever is the best possible
of one of the Wireless devices.

I.e. even if most of your system might be capable to be configured to the
max. with WPA2, but one device is only capable to be configured to max . of
WEP, to whole system must be configured to WEP.

If you need more good security and one device (like a Wireless card that can
do WEP only) is holding better security for the whole Network, replace the
device with a better one.
Setting Wireless Security - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Security.html
Jack (MVP-Networking).




"Blackberry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:OCW6$%23T%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi All
>
> Got a brand new laptop running WinXP Pro SP2.
>
> Set it up to access a wireless network (no encryption - MAC control) in
> the
> office and one at home (128bit WEP - no MAC control).
>
> All done through WinXP's wireless part of the wireless network connection.
>
> Using built-in WLAN card on a Fujitsu Siemens laptop.
>
> Even though the Advanced properties shows 2 wireless entries (home then
> office in the list), the laptop isn't auto-picking up the office after
> first
> looking at the home connection.
>
> I have to go into the Network properties / Adanced Settings / Wireless
> Networks / etc and move the office entry up to the top for it to kick in.
>
> The end user is taking it home to continue working on it and I've just got
> this horrible feeling that they are going to have to go into the bowels of
> the network connection to put the Home one back up to the top.
>
> Surely the sys should check for the Home one, doesn't exist so move to the
> next one, ie the Office one, or am I asking too much? :0)
>
> Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?
>
> Is there any switch script/app I could use so that the end user just
> clicks
> on the relevant one from their desktop?
>
> Thanks
>
>