Configuring Wireless Networking in Windows Vista
Written by Anonymous on 12:29 AMWireless Network:
A wireless network provides all the functions of a wired network with an advantage of roaming within your radio-signal network with still connected to your network.
Prepare:
Once you have identified the hardware needed like Hi-Fi Wireless networking card, and Wireless Router/ Access Point (Detailed information available on Windows XP page referred above), you are almost ready to connect to the network. If you are using a laptop which comes with an in-built wireless card, it may have a special function key or a button mostly in the front of the laptop to turn it on and off (Check with your computer manufacturer for information).
A following similar picture should be available near to the Wireless On/off button:
Figure 1: Wireless Symbol
Wireless network configuration methods:
You can configure connections to wireless networks, known as wireless profiles, for a computer running Windows Vista with the following methods:
This is the common method by which individual users will configure connections to wireless networks.
Network administrators can use Group Policy settings in an Active Directory directory service environment to centrally configure and deploy wireless network settings and automatically configure domain member computers. More information here
Network administrators can use commands in the new netsh wlan context of the Netsh.exe tool to manually configure wireless networks and their settings. There are Netsh commands to export an existing wireless profile to an XML file and then import the wireless profile settings stored in the XML file on another computer. Learn about the syntax and use of the complete set of netsh wlan commands that you can use to manage 802.11 wireless networks in Windows Vista.
Connecting to Wireless network using Connect to a network dialog box:
1. Click Start and in the Search field type Network and Sharing, then select the Network and Sharing Center from the menu when the option appears.
2. In the Network and Sharing Center, select Connect to a network in the left pane. You can access the Connect to a network dialog box from many locations in Windows Vista, including the following:
- By clicking Start, and then Connect to from the Windows Vista desktop
- From the Manage wireless connections dialog box
- From the Connect/Disconnect context menu option of a wireless network adapter in the Network Connections folder
3. When the Connect to a network window appears, select Wireless from the drop-down menu to display all detected Wireless Networks. A non-broadcast wireless network appears in the list with the name “Unnamed Network.” (The first time the user connects to a network that does not broadcast an SSID, the user must type the Network Name.) The list of available networks is subject to the allowed wireless networks configured through Group Policy or the command line and the types of wireless networks being detected, such as infrastructure mode or ad hoc mode networks.
- All Wireless, dial-up, and VPN connections.
- Wireless Only wireless connections.
- Dial-up and VPN Only dial-up and VPN connections.
NOTE: If any of the wireless connections in the list are marked as "network cable unplugged" or "disabled," then the wireless adapter is not connected or is not turned on. You will have to make sure that the WiFi router is set up properly and that your adapter is enabled to proceed with that wireless connection.
4. On the Connect to a network window, each wireless network available within range is listed. Right-click the network that you are connecting to and click Connect and proceed to Step 8. If the wireless network you want to connect to is not listed, then you may be out of range of the wireless router or access point. For help in troubleshooting your wireless router or access point, see related links below.
5. If Router / Access Point configuration is setup correctly, and still the wireless network is not listed, try a setting up the network manually. To setup a network connection manually, click Set up a connection or network option found on the bottom left corner of the windows.
6. In the following dialog box, select Manually connect to a wireless network:
7. The next step of the Manually connect to a wireless network wizard would prompt for settings such as Network Name (SSID) and wireless encryption (WEP) settings. Type each in the required fields and click the Next button to proceed to Step 9.
8. The Connect to a network wizard will ask for the Network Name (SSID) and wireless encryption (WEP) settings. Type each in the required fields. Wireless networks have varying degrees of security. If your wireless network does not require encryption, the settings on this tab will be automatically setup for you. If the wireless network that you are connecting to uses standard encrypted communication, select WEP enabled from the Encryption type drop down menu. Complete the wireless encryption configuration by typing the Network key into Network security key: field. See your network administrator or your wireless router software for the required network key.
9. If your network is unsecured, you will be prompted to confirm the connection. Windows Vista will never automatically connect to an unprotected or ad hoc network, reducing the risk of automatically connecting to a malicious wireless access point.
10. Click OK to return to the Connect to a network window. If the settings you have configured are correct, the network name will be listed in the preferred networks list. Click OK and close your Control Panel. Your notebook should now be connected to the wireless network. You may have to restart your notebook for some changes to take effect.
Configuring your Wireless Network Connection
2. In the task list of the Network and Sharing Center dialog box, click Manage wireless networks in the left pane. From the Manage Wireless Networks dialog box, you can add a new wireless network, remove a selected wireless network, obtain the properties of the wireless network adapter, and choose the type of profile to assign to new wireless networks (applies to all users or the current user).
3. To view or modify the properties of an existing wireless network, in the Networks you can view and modify list, right-click the network name you are connecting to and select Properties.
4. To modify encryption and security settings, in the Wireless Network Properties window, select the Security tab.
5. On the Security tab, you can specify the following security types:
- Security type:
- No authentication (Open) Open system authentication with no encryption.
- WEP Open system authentication with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
- WPA-Personal Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) with a preshared key (also known as a passphrase).
- WPA-Enterprise WPA with IEEE 802.1X authentication.
- WPA2-Personal WPA2 with a preshared key.
- WPA2-Enterprise WPA with IEEE 802.1X authentication.
- 802.1x IEEE 802.1X authentication with WEP (also known as dynamic WEP).
The shared key authentication method is not listed. Microsoft strongly discourages its use because it provides weak security for your wireless network. To configure shared key authentication, select No authentication (Open) here and then select Shared from the Security tab in the properties of the wireless network (described later in this article).
Encryption type: Select the method used to encrypt data frames sent over the wireless network. The choices depend on the selected security type. The three encryption types are WEP (128-bit), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) (128-bit), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) (128-bit).
When the No authentication (Open) security type is selected, None is selected.
When the WEP security type is selected, WEP is selected.
When the WPA-Personal security type is selected, you can select TKIP or AES.
When the WPA-Enterprise security type is selected, you can select TKIP or AES.
When the WPA2-Personal security type is selected, you can select TKIP or AES.
When the WPA2-Enterprise security type is selected, you can select TKIP or AES.
When the WEP (802.1x) security type is selected, WEP is selected.
The choices listed depend on the capabilities of your wireless network adapter that are reported to Windows.
- Security Key/Passphrase Type the WEP key (if you selected the WEP security type), the WPA preshared key (if you selected the WPA-Personal security type), or the WPA2 preshared key (if you selected the WPA2-Personal security type).
- Show characters Specifies whether you want to view the value typed in Security Key/Passphrase.
6. Enter the values depending on your network configuration and click Ok. It may take Windows a few minutes to complete the connection.
7. Click OK or Close to exit any open windows or panels.
From Whizblaze
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