computer keeps offering to connect to three networks

[Greg]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

As I sit on my porch surfing the net, the connection with my own home
wireless network keeps disconnecting despite a good signal strength. A
window pops up every few minutes advising me that "one or more wireless
networks are available." Mine is one of three listed. I select mine
and continue surfing, but until I do, I am disconnected from my own
connection. Why am I continuing to get these messages? I remember
seeing that there were more than one network available before upgrading
from windows xp home to windows xp pro, but don't recall being
disconnected from my home network once connected. the other two
networks must be from neighbors. Maybe the recent disconnects are just
coincidental to my recent windows upgrade, but I'm wondering if there is
some setting I must change to keep me connected to the home network, or
if maybe my own network is occasionally disconnecting me (perhaps the
router itself is disconnecting me?).
Anyone have any insight about what is going on?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Greg wrote:
> As I sit on my porch surfing the net, the connection with my own home
> wireless network keeps disconnecting despite a good signal strength.
> A window pops up every few minutes advising me that "one or more
> wireless networks are available." Mine is one of three listed. I
> select mine and continue surfing, but until I do, I am disconnected
> from my own connection. Why am I continuing to get these messages?
> I remember seeing that there were more than one network available
> before upgrading from windows xp home to windows xp pro, but don't
> recall being disconnected from my home network once connected. the
> other two networks must be from neighbors. Maybe the recent
> disconnects are just coincidental to my recent windows upgrade, but
> I'm wondering if there is some setting I must change to keep me
> connected to the home network, or if maybe my own network is
> occasionally disconnecting me (perhaps the router itself is
> disconnecting me?).
> Anyone have any insight about what is going on?

Remove the other networks from Preferred Networks, and set the toggle to
connect to only preferred networks. Add your connection to Preferred
Networks if it is not already there.

Q

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Greg <not@thisaddress.com> wrote:
>As I sit on my porch surfing the net, the connection with my own home
>wireless network keeps disconnecting despite a good signal strength. A
>window pops up every few minutes advising me that "one or more wireless
>networks are available." Mine is one of three listed. I select mine
>and continue surfing, but until I do, I am disconnected from my own
>connection.

Yeah, XP does that if you are using WPA under their Wireless Zero
Config. Try rolling a WEP key and turn off 802.1x auhentication...

Are you near an airport?

 

[Greg]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

In article <s1lto0dop4tnterjtpmu01oq6qurb9e931@4ax.com>, William P.N.
Smith says...
> Yeah, XP does that if you are using WPA under their Wireless Zero
> Config. Try rolling a WEP key and turn off 802.1x auhentication...
>
> Are you near an airport?
>
Yes, I am within about a mile of the airport's control tower. I think
by "rolling back a WEP key" you mean choosing a different key index? I
believe that I chose several keys when I first set up the router, but
I've only entered one of those keys in the advanced tab of the wireless
connections properties advanced section. Would just entering all of the
keys solve the problem?
Another question: Would turning off 802.1x authentication compropmise my
network security? I admit that I know nothing about the security
aspects of wireless networks.

Thanks for your reply(s)!

 

[TC]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Take a look at this PC Mag article about stopping WZC once you have a
connection.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1546446,00.asp

Terry

"Greg" <not@thisaddress.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1bfb2b7be56ccbc6989685@news-server...
> In article <s1lto0dop4tnterjtpmu01oq6qurb9e931@4ax.com>, William P.N.
> Smith says...
>> Yeah, XP does that if you are using WPA under their Wireless Zero
>> Config. Try rolling a WEP key and turn off 802.1x auhentication...
>>
>> Are you near an airport?
>>
> Yes, I am within about a mile of the airport's control tower. I think
> by "rolling back a WEP key" you mean choosing a different key index? I
> believe that I chose several keys when I first set up the router, but
> I've only entered one of those keys in the advanced tab of the wireless
> connections properties advanced section. Would just entering all of the
> keys solve the problem?
> Another question: Would turning off 802.1x authentication compropmise my
> network security? I admit that I know nothing about the security
> aspects of wireless networks.
>
> Thanks for your reply(s)!
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Greg <not@thisaddress.com> wrote:
>William P.N. Smith says...
>> Yeah, XP does that if you are using WPA under their Wireless Zero
>> Config. Try rolling a WEP key and turn off 802.1x auhentication...
>>
>> Are you near an airport?
>>
> Yes, I am within about a mile of the airport's control tower.

One of my clients is fairly close to an airport, and every minute
exactly (like clockwork!) gets a momentary glitch. Every so often
(not every minute, but I suspect when the glitch corresponded to WPA
causing the negotiation of a new key) the connection would go down and
have to be brought back up manually. Changing to WEP fixed the
problem, or at least appears to have done so.

>I think
>by "rolling back a WEP key" you mean

I said "roll a WEP key" because I do it with a set of 16-sided dice to
get a random 128-bit hex number. You can do it with coins,
{4,8,16,32,64,128}-sided dice, or a good random number generator, just
don't pick it by guessing what sounds random or using a passphrase.

>Another question: Would turning off 802.1x authentication compropmise my
>network security? I admit that I know nothing about the security
>aspects of wireless networks.

Yes, WEP is significantly less secure than WPA, but a network that
won't stay up isn't very useful...