Configuring Wireless Network in Windows XP computers

New !!! Windows Vista Wireless networking

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A typical Wireless Network setup will look like the one below: Preparing your Notebook/Desktop: To establish a Wireless network, following  is needed: Wireless Router / Access point which is connected to the physical network or your high speed Internet line. Wireless networking card on the Desktop/Notebook. Operating system like Windows XP which supports Wireless network with its built-in utility or through additional wireless network configuration utility provided by Wireless card manufacturer   Notebooks will require a PCMCIA wireless network adapter to be inserted and installed in the PCMCIA slot. Other notebooks will have the wireless adapter built-in to the notebook itself. You can add Wireless PCI card similar to the one shown in the below image in case of Desktops: PCI Wireless Network Adapter for Desktops: Wireless PC Card for Notebooks:

You will also find similar USB Wireless Ethernet Adapters which can be used for both Notebook and Desktops.

After upgrading to the right hardware, make sure the Wireless Ethernet card drivers are properly installed and recognized in Windows XP:

1.      Right click My Computer icon and select Properties.

2.      Click Hardware tab, click Device Manager button.

 

3.      Click on the "+" next to Network adapters.

4.      Your Wireless Ethernet card should be listed beneath Network adapters. (e.g. 802.11b wireless PCI card) If there is a "!," or "x" next to the name of the card, or if your Ethernet card is not listed, Windows is having trouble recognizing it.    Reinstall the drivers using the CD that came with the card. If it is preinstalled one like from HP, check for drivers at the manufacturer website.

 

Connecting to the Network:

 

Enabling the Wireless card: In case of Notebooks with built-in wireless network adapters, it usually has a wireless on/off button located on the front ( near keyboard ) or to the side of the notebook. Some Notebooks have special function keys Fn + F2 assigned to Enable/Disable Wireless. For a Desktop, the wireless card would be enabled by default.

Figure: The wireless on/off button

1. After enabling the Wireless Network card, the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration icon (if enabled) will appear in your computer's system tray (see Figure below). Double-click the icon. If you have a wireless network configuration utility like Intel PROset installed from the manufacturer, you will find that icon instead.

 

 

2. The screen that appears will show any available wireless networks. Select the network and click Connect.  If security is enabled in Wireless Router / access point, you will be prompted for a network key or pass phrase. The figure below will appear in you have enabled WEP. Enter the WEP key of your wireless network in the Network key field, and re-enter it in the Confirm network key field. Then, click the Connect button.  How to configure your Wireless Network for Maximum security using WEP/WPA/WPA2: check here.

 

 

3. The screen in similar in the below Figure will appear if your connection is active.

                       

       

 

If you see a warning message "Limited or no connectivity" similar to the one shown in the below figure, click the here to troubleshoot:   

 

       

If your Wireless network card does not prompt the available connections or if it does not connect, you need to configure your Network Settings:

1.      From the Start menu, choose Control Panel. Click Network and Internet Connections.

 

2.      In the Pick a Control Panel list click Network Connections.

 

 

3.      The Wireless Network connection icon should be listed under LAN or High-Speed Internet category as shown in the above image. If it is listed under Network Bridge as shown in the below image, right click Wireless Network connection and select Remove from Bridge option:

 

 

4.      Click the General tab and Select TCP/IP and click Properties button.

 

                 

5.      Select Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically for the Router / Access point to assign IP information automatically.

6.      Click OK to close the properties window and try connecting again.

Changing the default connection or settings specific to the network to which it connects ( Assuming Wireless Zero configuration is used as default):

1.      In Microsoft Windows XP click Start then Control Panel then Network and Internet Connections.

2.      Double-click Network Connections.

3.      Right-click the Wireless Network Connection icon and select Properties.

4.      Click the Wireless Networks tab.  If Wireless network tab is missing, either Wireless Zero Configuration service is not started or not installed at all. Check the article here to install the service manually.

5.      On the Wireless Networks tab, each network available within range is listed under Available networks. Click the network that you are connecting to and click Configure.

Figure: Wireless Network tab and Available networks

6.      If there are no networks listed when you click View Wireless Networks under Available networks then you are out of range of the wireless router/access point, try moving the Router/ Access point until the network is detected.

 

Other options to check:

• Check if Wireless is enabled in the Router/ Access point.

• Check if SSID broadcast is enabled in the Router / Access point.

• Try changing the channel in the Router to 1,6, or 11.

Click on the below examples to see how the Router's web interface looks with the above options ( Get in touch with Router vendor or Manual for help):

 

Example 1: Linksys, Netgear

• If still experiencing connectivity issues, click here. Experiencing problems connecting to a Wireless network - Try this document

7.      On the Association tab the Network Name (SSID) and wireless encryption/authentication settings can be configured.

• SSID is an acronym for Service Set Identifier. The SSID is a sequence of up to 32 letters or numbers that is the ID, or name, of a wireless local area network. The SSID is set by a network administrator and for open wireless networks, the SSID is broadcast to all wireless devices within range of the network access point. A closed wireless network does not broadcast the SSID, requiring users to know the SSID to access the network.

How to configure your Wireless Network for Maximum security using WEP/WPA/WPA2: check here.

8.  After choosing an encryption and authentication standard, complete the wireless encryption configuration by typing the Network key into the Network key: and Confirm network key: text boxes.  Click OK to return to the Wireless Network Connection Properties.

9. If you do not want to connect to non-preferred Networks, click Advanced tab and make sure to uncheck Automatically Connect to Non-Preferred Networks. You will find a third tab named Connection after applying Windows XP Service Pack 2 in Wireless Network properties. This determines if you want to connect to this Network automatically:

10.  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 or you may have to restart your notebook for some changes to take effect.

Figure: Network Connection icon

Roaming to another network:

When you bring your laptop computer into another wireless network area, Windows attempts to connect to that network. Upon success, you are automatically connected to the network.  Make use of Automatic Configuration for Multiple Networks feature. This feature is useful whether you move your computer between wired networks, wireless networks, or any other networked environment. 

How to configure your computer for multiple networks: Read this article, which will let you achieve this with minimum or no manual configuration at all.

Additional Wireless Network settings: