Part 4 - Wireless networking with Windows XP
NETWORKING FUNDAMENTALS – Part4
In the next tutorial, I'll cover Wireless Networking (both unecncrypted & encrypted) with Windows XP. For people who find this info far from being effective, please post your feedback so that i could improve on whatever i have done so far, thanks..
First lets start with Simple, unencrypted Wireless Networking for WinXP
Required components:
- Windows XP (Pro or Home)
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Wireless Router, Hub, or some other type of Wireless Access Point
Wireless NICs (commonly also referred to as "wireless cards") come in varying styles. The most often used are PCMCIA (usually used in laptops), USB and PCI. The installation is out of the scope of this article, so I won't cover that right now.
As far as configuring a wireless network goes, it is very simple and straight-forward. As for first configuring your wireless router/hub/etc for internet access, you'll want to consult "Networking Fundamentals, Part 1, 2, & 3" which can be found here:
- Part 1, - Part 2, - Part 3
Now for the easy part - actually configuring your wireless network.
Access your router configuration and there will be a wireless configuration area. On most, wireless is enabled by default, but in case it isn't, go to the wireless configuration and assure that "Wireless" (may be different on yours) is set to "Enabled". There should also be an option to set the "SSID". This is a unique identifier for your wireless network, so set it to something you'll remember.
Now, on your computer (I assume Windows XP right now) go to Start->Control Panel (you may need to go to Settings->Control Panel depending on your setup). Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (if you don't see it, skip this step), and now go to "Network Connections".
Right-click on "Wireless Connection" (if you don't see it, please start a new post to resolve this problem first) and select "View available wireless networks". When the list finishes populating, you should see a network with your particular SSID. Click it, check the box that says "Allow me to connect to a network although it is not secured" and click "Connect".
You're done!
Encrypting wireless networks using WEP and Windows XP
Required components:
- Windows XP (Pro or Home)
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Wireless Router, Hub, or some other type of Wireless Access Point
Wireless NICs (commonly also referred to as "wireless cards") come in varying styles. The most often used are PCMCIA (usually used in laptops), USB and PCI. The installation is out of the scope of this article, so we won't cover that right now.
As far as configuring a wireless network goes, it is very simple and straight-forward. As for first configuring your wireless router/hub/etc for internet access, you'll want to consult "Networking Fundamentals, Part 1, 2, & 3" which can be found here:
- Part 1, - Part 2, - Part 3
Now for the easy part - actually configuring your WEP secured wireless network.
Access your router configuration and there will be a wireless configuration area. On most, wireless is enabled by default, but in case it isn't, go to the wireless configuration and assure that "Wireless" (may be different on yours) is set to "Enabled". There should also be an option to set the "SSID". This is a unique identifier for your wireless network, so set it to something you'll remember. Now, look for "Wireless Security". You'll want to set this to "WEP", and a new menu should now be available. There will likely be a box that reads "Key Select" (again, may be different) that you'll want to set to "Key 1". There should also be several text boxes with drop-down menus beside/around them. In the first, enter a unique combination of characters, and specify the encryption bitrate following the chart below (again, this may vary depending on your router, but these are usually the defaults. Read your router docs for more information):
- 5 numbers = 64-bit
- 13 numbers = 128 bit
- 29 numbers = 256 bit
Now write down this number or remember it. This is essentially a "password" for accessing your network. Now, apply/save these settings and close the window.
Now, on your computer (I assume Windows XP right now) go to Start->Control Panel (you may need to go to Settings->Control Panel depending on your setup). Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (if you don't see it, skip this step), and now go to "Network Connections".
Right-click on "Wireless Connection" (if you don't see it, please start a new post to resolve this problem first) and select "View available wireless networks". When the list finishes populating, you should see a network with your particular SSID. Click the network, and there should be a prompt avaiable to input your WEP Key - this is the number we just wrote down. Enter it in this box, and click "Connect".
You're done!
Encrypting wireless networks using WPA and Windows XP
Required components:
- Windows XP (Pro or Home)
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Wireless Router, Hub, or some other type of Wireless Access Point
Wireless NICs (commonly also referred to as "wireless cards") come in varying styles. The most often used are PCMCIA (usually used in laptops), USB and PCI. The installation is out of the scope of this article, so I won't cover that right now.
As far as configuring a wireless network goes, it is very simple and straight-forward. As for first configuring your wireless router/hub/etc for internet access, you'll want to consult "Networking Fundamentals, Part 1, 2, & 3" which can be found here:
- Part 1, - Part 2, - Part 3
Now for the easy part - actually configuring your WPA secured wireless network.
Access your router configuration and there will be a wireless configuration area. On most, wireless is enabled by default, but in case it isn't, go to the wireless configuration and assure that "Wireless" (may be different on yours) is set to "Enabled". There should also be an option to set the "SSID". This is a unique identifier for your wireless network, so set it to something you'll remember. Now, look for "Wireless Security". You'll want to set this to "WPA", and a new menu should now be available. There will likely be a box that reads "WPA Shared Key" (or something similar). In here, enter a number 8 to 63 characters long. Now write down this number or remember it. This is essentially a "password" for accessing your network. There may also be a box that says something similar to "WPA Re-Key interval". A setting for this around 3600 is safe. Now, apply/save these settings and close the window.
Now, on your computer (I assume Windows XP right now) go to Start->Control Panel (you may need to go to Settings->Control Panel depending on your setup). Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (if you don't see it, skip this step), and now go to "Network Connections".
Right-click on "Wireless Connection" (if you don't see it, please start a new post to resolve this problem first) and select "View available wireless networks". When the list finishes populating, you should see a network with your particular SSID. Click the network, and there should be a prompt available to input your WEP Key - this is the number we just wrote down. Enter it in this box, and click "Connect".
You're done!
Instructions for Win2k and below:
The instructions for these, unfortunately, cannot be combined herein because of the nature of the available wireless devices and their configurations. A few pointers though (and you can always ask here for help):
- be sure to install all software that comes with wireless adapter.
- Configuration will usually be similar to Windows XP in verbiage used.
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
If at all possible, it is much better to use WPA instead of WEP as it is much more secure.
Happy Networking! Again to mention, don’t forget to post your feedback...!!
NETWORKING FUNDAMENTALS – Part4
In the next tutorial, I'll cover Wireless Networking (both unecncrypted & encrypted) with Windows XP. For people who find this info far from being effective, please post your feedback so that i could improve on whatever i have done so far, thanks..
First lets start with Simple, unencrypted Wireless Networking for WinXP
Required components:
- Windows XP (Pro or Home)
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Wireless Router, Hub, or some other type of Wireless Access Point
Wireless NICs (commonly also referred to as "wireless cards") come in varying styles. The most often used are PCMCIA (usually used in laptops), USB and PCI. The installation is out of the scope of this article, so I won't cover that right now.
As far as configuring a wireless network goes, it is very simple and straight-forward. As for first configuring your wireless router/hub/etc for internet access, you'll want to consult "Networking Fundamentals, Part 1, 2, & 3" which can be found here:
- Part 1, - Part 2, - Part 3
Now for the easy part - actually configuring your wireless network.
Access your router configuration and there will be a wireless configuration area. On most, wireless is enabled by default, but in case it isn't, go to the wireless configuration and assure that "Wireless" (may be different on yours) is set to "Enabled". There should also be an option to set the "SSID". This is a unique identifier for your wireless network, so set it to something you'll remember.
Now, on your computer (I assume Windows XP right now) go to Start->Control Panel (you may need to go to Settings->Control Panel depending on your setup). Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (if you don't see it, skip this step), and now go to "Network Connections".
Right-click on "Wireless Connection" (if you don't see it, please start a new post to resolve this problem first) and select "View available wireless networks". When the list finishes populating, you should see a network with your particular SSID. Click it, check the box that says "Allow me to connect to a network although it is not secured" and click "Connect".
You're done!
Encrypting wireless networks using WEP and Windows XP
Required components:
- Windows XP (Pro or Home)
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Wireless Router, Hub, or some other type of Wireless Access Point
Wireless NICs (commonly also referred to as "wireless cards") come in varying styles. The most often used are PCMCIA (usually used in laptops), USB and PCI. The installation is out of the scope of this article, so we won't cover that right now.
As far as configuring a wireless network goes, it is very simple and straight-forward. As for first configuring your wireless router/hub/etc for internet access, you'll want to consult "Networking Fundamentals, Part 1, 2, & 3" which can be found here:
- Part 1, - Part 2, - Part 3
Now for the easy part - actually configuring your WEP secured wireless network.
Access your router configuration and there will be a wireless configuration area. On most, wireless is enabled by default, but in case it isn't, go to the wireless configuration and assure that "Wireless" (may be different on yours) is set to "Enabled". There should also be an option to set the "SSID". This is a unique identifier for your wireless network, so set it to something you'll remember. Now, look for "Wireless Security". You'll want to set this to "WEP", and a new menu should now be available. There will likely be a box that reads "Key Select" (again, may be different) that you'll want to set to "Key 1". There should also be several text boxes with drop-down menus beside/around them. In the first, enter a unique combination of characters, and specify the encryption bitrate following the chart below (again, this may vary depending on your router, but these are usually the defaults. Read your router docs for more information):
- 5 numbers = 64-bit
- 13 numbers = 128 bit
- 29 numbers = 256 bit
Now write down this number or remember it. This is essentially a "password" for accessing your network. Now, apply/save these settings and close the window.
Now, on your computer (I assume Windows XP right now) go to Start->Control Panel (you may need to go to Settings->Control Panel depending on your setup). Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (if you don't see it, skip this step), and now go to "Network Connections".
Right-click on "Wireless Connection" (if you don't see it, please start a new post to resolve this problem first) and select "View available wireless networks". When the list finishes populating, you should see a network with your particular SSID. Click the network, and there should be a prompt avaiable to input your WEP Key - this is the number we just wrote down. Enter it in this box, and click "Connect".
You're done!
Encrypting wireless networks using WPA and Windows XP
Required components:
- Windows XP (Pro or Home)
- Wireless Network Interface Card (NIC)
- Wireless Router, Hub, or some other type of Wireless Access Point
Wireless NICs (commonly also referred to as "wireless cards") come in varying styles. The most often used are PCMCIA (usually used in laptops), USB and PCI. The installation is out of the scope of this article, so I won't cover that right now.
As far as configuring a wireless network goes, it is very simple and straight-forward. As for first configuring your wireless router/hub/etc for internet access, you'll want to consult "Networking Fundamentals, Part 1, 2, & 3" which can be found here:
- Part 1, - Part 2, - Part 3
Now for the easy part - actually configuring your WPA secured wireless network.
Access your router configuration and there will be a wireless configuration area. On most, wireless is enabled by default, but in case it isn't, go to the wireless configuration and assure that "Wireless" (may be different on yours) is set to "Enabled". There should also be an option to set the "SSID". This is a unique identifier for your wireless network, so set it to something you'll remember. Now, look for "Wireless Security". You'll want to set this to "WPA", and a new menu should now be available. There will likely be a box that reads "WPA Shared Key" (or something similar). In here, enter a number 8 to 63 characters long. Now write down this number or remember it. This is essentially a "password" for accessing your network. There may also be a box that says something similar to "WPA Re-Key interval". A setting for this around 3600 is safe. Now, apply/save these settings and close the window.
Now, on your computer (I assume Windows XP right now) go to Start->Control Panel (you may need to go to Settings->Control Panel depending on your setup). Click on "Network and Internet Connections" (if you don't see it, skip this step), and now go to "Network Connections".
Right-click on "Wireless Connection" (if you don't see it, please start a new post to resolve this problem first) and select "View available wireless networks". When the list finishes populating, you should see a network with your particular SSID. Click the network, and there should be a prompt available to input your WEP Key - this is the number we just wrote down. Enter it in this box, and click "Connect".
You're done!
Instructions for Win2k and below:
The instructions for these, unfortunately, cannot be combined herein because of the nature of the available wireless devices and their configurations. A few pointers though (and you can always ask here for help):
- be sure to install all software that comes with wireless adapter.
- Configuration will usually be similar to Windows XP in verbiage used.
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
If at all possible, it is much better to use WPA instead of WEP as it is much more secure.
Happy Networking! Again to mention, don’t forget to post your feedback...!!