Connect Automatically

For any given wireless network, you can tell XP to connect automatically whenever the network is in range. Actually, you don't really have to; this also is default behavior. But in the event that your system is not connecting automatically to a network you think it should, you should check the network's Properties to ensure Automatic connection is enabled.

To do so, follow these steps:

1.	Right-click the networking icon in the System Tray and choose View Available Wireless Networks.
2.	From the Wireless Connection dialog box, look in the list of Related Tasks and choose the Change Advanced Settings link.
3.	Select the desired network in the list of Preferred networks, and click Properties.
4.	Now click on the Connection tab. Connecting automatically is done with a simple check box, as shown in Figure 10-8. Figure 10-8. Windows connects automatically to networks within range.