Can I block specific networks from being detected

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless (More info?)

Hello,

I live in a townhome and I can "sense" 4 or 5 wireless networks. Since I
can only run on Channel 6 due to netgear 108's settings, my network seems to
be interfered by a nearby one.

Is there a way that I can make windows ONLY detect my network.

Thanks,

Alan

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless (More info?)

Windows wireless zero configuration will only connect to a network in your
preferred list. If your wireless adapter is within range of a number of
wireless networks, there really isn't much that you can do to prevent them
from using channel 6. However, just becuase your wireless adapter can see
another network, it does not mean that that network is operating on the same
channel or even causing interference. A surprising number of wireless
devices can coexist on the same channel without issue. The 802.11 wireless
protocol has measures to ensure a quality experience when multiple devices
are within radio range. Cordless phones do not make use of this protocol
though and this leads us to...

The greatest and most common sources of interference on the 802.11b and
802.11g spectrum are 2.4ghz cordless phones and counter-top microwave ovens.
Unfortunately, it may prove difficult to convince your neighbors to remove
those appliances or dictate their usage patterns.

What makes you believe there is interferance on your network?

Did you change the network name/SSID on the access point from the
manufacturers default? If not, please do so.

--
Jerry Peterson
Windows Network Services - Wireless

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"trippwwf" <trippwwf@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:7AC3C41C-E9A6-4826-9340-63B4F709A95F@microsoft.com...
> Bump
>
> "trippwwf" wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I live in a townhome and I can "sense" 4 or 5 wireless networks. Since I
>> can only run on Channel 6 due to netgear 108's settings, my network seems
>> to
>> be interfered by a nearby one.
>>
>> Is there a way that I can make windows ONLY detect my network.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Alan

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless (More info?)

What is happening that makes you believe there is interferrence? Does the
connection suddenly drop, or are downloads taking 10 minutes for one
megabyte? Characterizing the problem will help me understand the scope.

The other question in the back of my mind is specific to Netgear's
proprietary 108 functionality. The 802.11g specification allows for
transmission rates of up to 54mbs. To reach 108mbs, they would need to
perform some trickery which is not standards compliant. Devices that do not
support their proprietary standard could seriously impact your expected
throughput. Simply adding a non-Netgear device could bump you back to 11mbs
speeds in less than a heartbeat. Do you have any non-Netgear devices
participating in the wireless network? Do you have any Netgear devices or
drivers in use that are not "108" capable? Are you using any form of
wireless security to prevent other tenants from using your network?

--
Jerry Peterson
Windows Network Services - Wireless

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"trippwwf" <trippwwf@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8BC0A8CC-4C68-4911-B1A4-522287BAFEC0@microsoft.com...
> Hello,
>
> Thanks for the help. I am a network administrator so all the defaults
> have
> been changed. (I cant say the same for my neighbors though)
>
> I am pretty sure it is their networks causing problems because as soon as
> I
> change the setting to say anything but "Autodetect 108" and then change
> the
> channel to anything but 6, my signal on this computer goes from very low
> to
> very high. This consistently happens as soon as the channel is changed.
>
> Unfortunatly, on Netgears 108 wireless router, you can only use channel 6
> when you have it set to "Auto 108". If all devices in my house were 108,
> then I would use that and then change the channel. Unfortunatly, they
> arent,
> so I must use the auto 108.
>
> Have any other possible solutions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
> "Jerry Peterson[MSFT]" wrote:
>
>> Windows wireless zero configuration will only connect to a network in
>> your
>> preferred list. If your wireless adapter is within range of a number of
>> wireless networks, there really isn't much that you can do to prevent
>> them
>> from using channel 6. However, just becuase your wireless adapter can
>> see
>> another network, it does not mean that that network is operating on the
>> same
>> channel or even causing interference. A surprising number of wireless
>> devices can coexist on the same channel without issue. The 802.11
>> wireless
>> protocol has measures to ensure a quality experience when multiple
>> devices
>> are within radio range. Cordless phones do not make use of this protocol
>> though and this leads us to...
>>
>> The greatest and most common sources of interference on the 802.11b and
>> 802.11g spectrum are 2.4ghz cordless phones and counter-top microwave
>> ovens.
>> Unfortunately, it may prove difficult to convince your neighbors to
>> remove
>> those appliances or dictate their usage patterns.
>>
>> What makes you believe there is interferance on your network?
>>
>> Did you change the network name/SSID on the access point from the
>> manufacturers default? If not, please do so.
>>
>> --
>> Jerry Peterson
>> Windows Network Services - Wireless
>>
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights.
>> "trippwwf" <trippwwf@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:7AC3C41C-E9A6-4826-9340-63B4F709A95F@microsoft.com...
>> > Bump
>> >
>> > "trippwwf" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hello,
>> >>
>> >> I live in a townhome and I can "sense" 4 or 5 wireless networks.
>> >> Since I
>> >> can only run on Channel 6 due to netgear 108's settings, my network
>> >> seems
>> >> to
>> >> be interfered by a nearby one.
>> >>
>> >> Is there a way that I can make windows ONLY detect my network.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks,
>> >>
>> >> Alan
>>
>>
>>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless (More info?)

Another possiblity is radio range. The 802.11g protocol has a provision to
increase signal reliability. As signal strength drops, the devices will
negotiate a slower connection speed. At the edge of radio range, your
connection speed will typically be 1-2mbs.

You can test to see if this is the behavior by moving a wireless client to
within a few feet of the access point and noting the connection speed.

--
Jerry Peterson
Windows Network Services - Wireless

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"trippwwf" <trippwwf@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:12D77C33-9542-4C67-A0D4-9B5EF956C437@microsoft.com...
> Hello again,
>
> All devices are Netgear 108 compliant, except for a laptop that is rarely
> on
> / used. All netgear devices also have the latest firmware and drivers
> installed. Downloads arent too slow. I just cant get it to connect at
> anything above a low signal strength. There are no other forms of
> security
> on the network besides the SSID being turned off and the network being
> keyed
> with a crazy long password. Using the netstat -a cmd i see no rouge
> devices
> connected. The same goes for using Netgears "Attached Devices" screen.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
>
> "Jerry Peterson[MSFT]" wrote:
>
>> What is happening that makes you believe there is interferrence? Does
>> the
>> connection suddenly drop, or are downloads taking 10 minutes for one
>> megabyte? Characterizing the problem will help me understand the scope.
>>
>> The other question in the back of my mind is specific to Netgear's
>> proprietary 108 functionality. The 802.11g specification allows for
>> transmission rates of up to 54mbs. To reach 108mbs, they would need to
>> perform some trickery which is not standards compliant. Devices that do
>> not
>> support their proprietary standard could seriously impact your expected
>> throughput. Simply adding a non-Netgear device could bump you back to
>> 11mbs
>> speeds in less than a heartbeat. Do you have any non-Netgear devices
>> participating in the wireless network? Do you have any Netgear devices
>> or
>> drivers in use that are not "108" capable? Are you using any form of
>> wireless security to prevent other tenants from using your network?
>>
>> --
>> Jerry Peterson
>> Windows Network Services - Wireless
>>
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights.
>> "trippwwf" <trippwwf@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:8BC0A8CC-4C68-4911-B1A4-522287BAFEC0@microsoft.com...
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > Thanks for the help. I am a network administrator so all the defaults
>> > have
>> > been changed. (I cant say the same for my neighbors though)
>> >
>> > I am pretty sure it is their networks causing problems because as soon
>> > as
>> > I
>> > change the setting to say anything but "Autodetect 108" and then change
>> > the
>> > channel to anything but 6, my signal on this computer goes from very
>> > low
>> > to
>> > very high. This consistently happens as soon as the channel is
>> > changed.
>> >
>> > Unfortunatly, on Netgears 108 wireless router, you can only use channel
>> > 6
>> > when you have it set to "Auto 108". If all devices in my house were
>> > 108,
>> > then I would use that and then change the channel. Unfortunatly, they
>> > arent,
>> > so I must use the auto 108.
>> >
>> > Have any other possible solutions?
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > Alan
>> > "Jerry Peterson[MSFT]" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Windows wireless zero configuration will only connect to a network in
>> >> your
>> >> preferred list. If your wireless adapter is within range of a number
>> >> of
>> >> wireless networks, there really isn't much that you can do to prevent
>> >> them
>> >> from using channel 6. However, just becuase your wireless adapter can
>> >> see
>> >> another network, it does not mean that that network is operating on
>> >> the
>> >> same
>> >> channel or even causing interference. A surprising number of wireless
>> >> devices can coexist on the same channel without issue. The 802.11
>> >> wireless
>> >> protocol has measures to ensure a quality experience when multiple
>> >> devices
>> >> are within radio range. Cordless phones do not make use of this
>> >> protocol
>> >> though and this leads us to...
>> >>
>> >> The greatest and most common sources of interference on the 802.11b
>> >> and
>> >> 802.11g spectrum are 2.4ghz cordless phones and counter-top microwave
>> >> ovens.
>> >> Unfortunately, it may prove difficult to convince your neighbors to
>> >> remove
>> >> those appliances or dictate their usage patterns.
>> >>
>> >> What makes you believe there is interferance on your network?
>> >>
>> >> Did you change the network name/SSID on the access point from the
>> >> manufacturers default? If not, please do so.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Jerry Peterson
>> >> Windows Network Services - Wireless
>> >>
>> >> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> >> rights.
>> >> "trippwwf" <trippwwf@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:7AC3C41C-E9A6-4826-9340-63B4F709A95F@microsoft.com...
>> >> > Bump
>> >> >
>> >> > "trippwwf" wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Hello,
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I live in a townhome and I can "sense" 4 or 5 wireless networks.
>> >> >> Since I
>> >> >> can only run on Channel 6 due to netgear 108's settings, my network
>> >> >> seems
>> >> >> to
>> >> >> be interfered by a nearby one.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Is there a way that I can make windows ONLY detect my network.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Thanks,
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Alan
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>
>>