Wireless Networking Improvements in Windows XP Service Pack 2
Published: October 5, 2004
Microsoft updated many parts of Windows XP when it released Service Pack 2 (SP2). If you don't
travel regularly, you might not have noticed the dramatic improvements to
wireless networking. Specifically, the Wireless Network Connections dialog
box now shows much more information, making it very easy to find and
connect to wireless networks in your area.
And if you're like me and frequently depend on wireless hotspots for
Internet access at local coffee shops and airports, you'll be excited to
hear about Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS), which makes connecting to
those hotspots both easier and more secure.
In this column, I'll give you the steps for discovering and connecting
to a home wireless network and a hotspot using the wireless networking
features in SP2.
Understanding the Wireless Connection Dialog Box
The biggest improvement to wireless networking in Service Pack 2 is the
Wireless Network Connection dialog box, as shown in Figure 1. As you can
see, it lists all the nearby wireless networks that have strong enough
signals for a connection. For each network, it shows the network's Service
Set Identifier (SSID), encryption, connection status, and signal strength.
If the network uses WPS (discussed later in this article), the dialog box
displays the name and logo of the hotspot service provider instead of the
SSID.
Figure 1
When you're connecting to public wireless networks, it's important to
understand some are secured and some are not. If the network is
security-enabled, the Wireless Network Connection dialog box shows a gold
lock. The gold lock means you need a key (secure password or number) to
connect to it, but the network will protect the privacy of your
communications. If it's not security-enabled, you don't need a key to
connect to it, but other people might be able to view your communications.
For example, if you connect to a wireless network that is not
security-enabled and check your e-mail, another user connected to the same
wireless network (who is skilled with network attack tools and willing to
break the law) could read your user name and password. They could also
read your e-mail messages and identify each Web site you visit.
Like any radio signal, the signal strength of Wi-Fi networks varies
depending on how close you are to the wireless access point (WAP) and the
obstacles that are between you and the WAP. Like the bars on your mobile
phone, the Wireless Network Connection dialog box shows more bars when the
signal is stronger. You can connect even if you only see one bar, but you
might lose your network connection if you move a few feet or if you turn
your computer in a different direction. If you do lose your connection,
Windows XP will notify you and attempt to automatically reconnect.
Connecting to a Wireless Network
To search for and connect to a wireless network:
|
1. |
Right-click the wireless network connection icon in your taskbar,
as shown in Figure 2, and then click View Available Wireless
Networks.
Figure 2
|
|
2. |
The Wireless Network Connection dialog box appears, as shown in
Figure 1. If no networks appear, click Refresh Network List
in the upper-left corner. |
|
3. |
Choose a network by clicking on its name, and then click
Connect. |
|
4. |
If the network is security-enabled and the hotspot does not
support Windows Provisioning Service, Windows XP prompts you to
enter a key. If it does support WPS, Windows XP might prompt you to
download instructions for connecting to the network. |
|
5. |
Windows XP will briefly change the network's connection status to
Acquiring Network Address, and then to Connected. You
can now close the Wireless Network Connection dialog
box. |
If it continues to show Acquiring Network Address and the
network is security-enabled, you probably made an error in entering the
key. After you connect to a network, Windows XP automatically adds the
network to your Preferred Networks list, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3
You may accidentally connect to a neighbor's network and want to make
sure you connect to your own instead. (This is a common issue mentioned in
the Wireless Networks newsgroup.) You can move your home network to the
top of the Preferred Networks list. To edit this list, click
Change the Order of Preferred Networks in the Wireless Network
Connection window.
Disabling Windows Firewall Exceptions
The most visible security improvement with Service Pack 2 is Windows
Firewall and the Security Center. I feel much safer connecting to
hotspots with Windows Firewall enabled, because my computer is more
resistant to attacks from viruses running on the computers of other people
at the hotspot. Although having Windows Firewall enabled makes my computer
safer, you can improve security even more by temporarily disabling
exceptions that you've set for applications like Windows Messenger. You
should do this any time you're connecting to a network that you share with
people you don't trust, such as a public hotspot.
To disable Windows Firewall exceptions, follow these steps:
|
1. |
Click Start, click Control Panel, click Security
Center, and then click Windows Firewall. |
|
2. |
Select the Don't Allow Exceptions check box, as shown in
Figure 4, and then click OK.
Figure 4
|
To enable your programs to receive connections after you return to a
trusted network, clear the Don't Allow Exceptions check box.
Understanding Wireless Provisioning Services
Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS) makes it easier for you to connect
to hotspots and improves your privacy by encrypting communications.
To understand the benefits WPS will provide, consider what happens when
you connect to a hotspot that doesn't support WPS. As I write this column,
I'm at my local Starbucks, and I've connected to the Internet through
their partnership with T-Mobile. Unfortunately, it doesn't support WPS. To
connect to the Internet, I have to go through the following steps each
time I connect to the hotspot (after I've signed up for an account):
|
1. |
First, find the name of the network's SSID. The pamphlet at the
counter reveals that it's "tmobile". |
|
2. |
Next, open the Wireless Network Connections dialog box, click the
tmobile network, and then click Connect. |
|
3. |
Open a Web browser and I'm redirected to the T-Mobile Web site,
where I enter the user name and password for my personal T-Mobile
account. |
|
4. |
After I'm logged in, I can access the Internet using an
unencrypted connection. The hotspot doesn't use encryption because
it would be too hard to have users enter an encryption
key. |
With WPS, I would go through these steps:
|
1. |
Windows XP detects the network signal within range and prompts me
to connect to the hotspot, and I confirm that I'm ready to
connect. |
|
2. |
I can immediately access the Internet using an encrypted
connection that WPS automatically configured for
me. |
Although my favorite hotspot here at the Starbucks doesn't support WPS
yet, I'll be ready for it if it ever does, because I installed Service
Pack 2. Then I won't have to worry about opening a browser to sign in, and
I'll be able to use other hotspots on the same network without any
additional configuration. WPS can automatically configure network
encryption too, which will make me feel much better about sending my user
name and password across the Internet. As time goes on, more and more
hotspots will support WPS.
Working Around Problems with Service Pack 2
Some users in the Windows
XP Wireless Networking newsgroup report wireless networking issues
after upgrading to SP2. If you haven't installed SP2 yet, you should check
your wireless card vendor's Web site for driver updates now, before you
install SP2.
If you've already installed SP2 and have wireless networking issues,
connect to a wired network and see if there is a driver update available.
If there's no update and you must use your wireless card, one option is to
uninstall SP2 until there is a new driver for your wireless network card.
You must weigh your need for the wireless capability against the added
security you lose without SP2. Before you choose to uninstall SP2, read
Knowledge Base article 878454, How to help protect your
computer if you decide to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2.
 |
Tony Northrup is an Internet engineer, a part-time
photographer, and author of dozens of books and articles. He writes
to help people safely use the Internet to communicate, share, and
learn. |
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