How to *Not connect to "just any" access point

In condo complex and have MY wireless router/cable box. I want to ONLY connect to MINE.

If mine should hiccup etc at startup, there are many nearby non-protected wireless routers from the 40 other tenants in complex. Right now if I " view available wireless networks" there are 22. I would like to " ignore all others" and ONLY use mine. If mine has an issue, I understand that I won't be able to connect. - How to do so using Windows XP ?

Reply to
- Bobb -
Loading thread data ...

In article , bobb@noemail.123 (known to some as - Bobb -) scribed...

Your wireless device(s) must support MAC filtering. You need to enable such filtering on your access point, and set it to accept the MAC address(es) of the remote machines you want to allow.

You will also need to enable MAC filtering on your client end, and tell it to use only the MAC address of your specific access point.

If your devices do not support MAC filters, you will need to use other devices that do.

Happy tweaking.

Reply to
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee

Excellent - thank you very much.

Reply to
- Bobb -

non-protected

Which will do nothing to help his original question. That and MAC filtering is false security. All it takes for someone else to overcome it is to reset their client card to use one of your MAC addresses, which are broadcast in the clear and easily detected. That and if/when your card dies you'll have to remember there's no way to get back into the access point because the new card's MAC isn't known. More trouble than it's worth.

Not sure that's going to work either.

You can configure windows to either connect or not connect to unsecured networks. Don't recall right off where that checkbox is present. But that will keep your machine from trying to connect to anything else besides the network you've got setup already.

Some wifi card have more configurable software than others. Intel's software offers quite a few features for use with their cards. It may be worth considering a switch to a different wireless card to gain better client-side features.

-Bill Kearney

Reply to
Bill Kearney

On Fri, 2 Feb 2007 21:27:54 -0800, Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote: : In article , : bobb@noemail.123 (known to some as - Bobb -) scribed... : : > In condo complex and have MY wireless router/cable box. I want to ONLY : > connect to MINE. : > : > If mine should hiccup etc at startup, there are many nearby non-protected : > wireless routers from the 40 other tenants in complex. Right now if I " view : > available wireless networks" there are 22. I would like to " ignore all : > others" and ONLY use mine. If mine has an issue, I understand that I won't : > be able to connect. - How to do so using Windows XP ? : : Your wireless device(s) must support MAC filtering. You need to : enable such filtering on your access point, and set it to accept the MAC : address(es) of the remote machines you want to allow. : : You will also need to enable MAC filtering on your client end, and : tell it to use only the MAC address of your specific access point. : : If your devices do not support MAC filters, you will need to use : other devices that do. : : Happy tweaking.

You don't need MAC filtering. The Windows XP supplicant ("WZC") has an option to not automatically connect to any network not on your "preferred list". If you turn the option on and put only your network on your preferred list, you'll be OK. You will, of course, want to turn on encryption (WPA-PSK will be fine for your purpose) so that someone else can't replicate your SSID and cause you to accidentally connect. That will also keep unwanted users off of your network and do it much more effectively than MAC filtering would.

One caution: Many supplicants, including WZC, have the annoying habit of automatically adding a network to your preferred list if you connect to it manually. So if for some reason you do decide to connect to someone else's network, don't forget to delete it from your preferred list afterwards.

Bob

Reply to
Robert Coe

From: "Robert Coe" Subject: Re: How to *Not connect to "just any" access point Date: Saturday, February 03, 2007 10:50 AM

On Fri, 2 Feb 2007 21:27:54 -0800, Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote: : In article , : bobb@noemail.123 (known to some as - Bobb -) scribed... : : > In condo complex and have MY wireless router/cable box. I want to ONLY : > connect to MINE. : >

: > If mine should hiccup etc at startup, there are many nearby non-protected : > wireless routers from the 40 other tenants in complex. Right now if I " view : > available wireless networks" there are 22. I would like to " ignore all : > others" and ONLY use mine. If mine has an issue, I understand that I won't : > be able to connect. - How to do so using Windows XP ?

The Windows XP supplicant ("WZC") has an option to not automatically connect to any network not on your "preferred list". If you turn the option on and put only your network on your preferred list, you'll be OK. You will, of course, want to turn on encryption (WPA-PSK will be fine for your purpose) so that someone else can't replicate your SSID and cause you to accidentally connect. That will also keep unwanted users off of your network and do it much more effectively than MAC filtering would.

One caution: Many supplicants, including WZC, have the annoying habit of automatically adding a network to your preferred list if you connect to it manually. So if for some reason you do decide to connect to someone else's network, don't forget to delete it from your preferred list afterwards.

Bob

----------- Bob, I went here and they mentioned it, no specifics though:

formatting link
I AM running XP SP2 on new laptop (HP w/AMD x2), WPA set and I have all updates, so I have this on my pc already , right ? ( as in I don't need to download it). But - is this something I invoke ? Just that checkbox ? If not, how to utilize it ? When I look at wireless networks, what's available/ settings etc - here's what I see: "Wireless Network Connection - Properties shows available and Preferred list. If I select ADVANCED it shows "Networks to access" - I chose "access point (infrastructure) only" and have "automatically connect to non-preferred etworks" unchecked. That my only option.

I have the wireless areas I DO use arranged so home is first. So I thought if my wireless router not on = no connection, but still if mine is off, these others have no security and my Pc found them and connected.

I DId just update firmware on the linksys router = maybe now I need another XP update ? or should that have done it ?

thanks bobb

Reply to
- Bobb -

On Sun, 4 Feb 2007 07:59:14 -0500, "- Bobb -" wrote: : From: "Robert Coe" : Subject: Re: How to *Not connect to "just any" access point : Date: Saturday, February 03, 2007 10:50 AM : : On Fri, 2 Feb 2007 21:27:54 -0800, Dr. Anton T. Squeegee : wrote: : : In article , : : bobb@noemail.123 (known to some as - Bobb -) scribed... : : : : > In condo complex and have MY wireless router/cable box. I want to ONLY : : > connect to MINE. : : >

: : > If mine should hiccup etc at startup, there are many nearby : non-protected : : > wireless routers from the 40 other tenants in complex. Right now if I " : view : : > available wireless networks" there are 22. I would like to " ignore all : : > others" and ONLY use mine. If mine has an issue, I understand that I : won't : : > be able to connect. - How to do so using Windows XP ? : : The Windows XP supplicant ("WZC") has an option : to not automatically connect to any network not on your "preferred list". If : you turn the option on and put only your network on your preferred list, : you'll be OK. You will, of course, want to turn on encryption (WPA-PSK will : be fine for your purpose) so that someone else can't replicate your SSID and : cause you to accidentally connect. That will also keep unwanted users off of : your network and do it much more effectively than MAC filtering would. : : One caution: Many supplicants, including WZC, have the annoying habit of : automatically adding a network to your preferred list if you connect to it : manually. So if for some reason you do decide to connect to someone else's : network, don't forget to delete it from your preferred list afterwards. : : Bob : ----------- : Bob, : I went here and they mentioned it, no specifics though: :

formatting link
: I AM running XP SP2 on new laptop (HP w/AMD x2), WPA set and I have all : updates, so I have this on my pc already , right ? ( as in I don't need to : download it).

Yeah, but see below.

: But - is this something I invoke ? Just that checkbox ? If not, how to : utilize it ? : When I look at wireless networks, what's available/ settings etc - here's : what I see: : "Wireless Network Connection - Properties shows available and Preferred : list. If I select ADVANCED it shows : "Networks to access" - I chose "access point (infrastructure) only" and have : "automatically connect to non-preferred etworks" unchecked. That my only : option. : : I have the wireless areas I DO use arranged so home is first. : So I thought : if my wireless router not on = no connection, but still if mine is off, : these others have no security and my Pc found them and connected.

It won't connect to one of them if

- It's not on your preferred list, AND

- You've turned off "Automatically connect to non-preferred networks", AND

- You haven't connected to that network before (or you have but you've subsequently removed it from your preferred list).

Other supplicants behave differently. The Intel supplicant, for example, lets you tell it not to connect automatically to some network on its permanent machine-specific list, then goes ahead and automatically connects to it anyway. I haven't seen that behavior in the Microsoft supplicant.

: I DId just update firmware on the linksys router = maybe now I need another : XP update ? : or should that have done it ?

SP2 doesn't include the upgrade to the supplicant to allow it to handle WPA2 (which is slightly better than WPA). If you want that, you have to go find an additional patch on the Microsoft Web site.

: thanks : bobb

Reply to
Robert Coe

On Fri, 2 Feb 2007 21:27:54 -0800, Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote in :

That won't help.

Many (most?) clients won't do that.

No, you will need to (1) use a unique SSID for your network and (2) configure your client _not_ to connect to open networks. If you further use WPA with a strong passphrase, there is no real chance of connecting to the wrong network.

Reply to
John Navas

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.