Configuring Windows for Wireless Networking

The first step in configuring Windows XP for wireless networking is to install the appropriate device driver for your wireless network adapter. To do that, you need the installation CD that came with the adapter. Follow the instructions that came with the adapter to install the drivers.

Windows XP has some nice built-in features for working with wireless networks. Follow these steps to access the features:

1. Open the Network Connections folder.

   Tip 

   Choose Start Control Panel and then double-click the Network Connections icon.

2. Right-click the wireless network connection and then choose Properties to open the Properties dialog box.

3. Click the Wireless Networks tab.

   The wireless networking options are displayed, as shown in Figure 9-6.

Figure 9-6: Configuring wireless networking in Windows XP.

Each time you connect to a wireless network, Windows XP adds that network to this dialog box. Then you can juggle the order of the networks in the Preferred Networks section to indicate which network you prefer to join if you find yourself within range of two or more networks at the same time. You can use the Move Up and Move Down buttons next to the Preferred Networks list to change your preferences.

To add a network that you haven't yet joined, click the Add button. This action opens the dialog box shown in Figure 9-7. Here, you can type the SSID value for the network that you want to add. You can also specify other information, such as whether to use data encryption, how to authenticate yourself, and whether the network is an ad hoc rather than an infrastructure network.

Figure 9-7: Adding a wireless network in Windows XP.

When your computer comes within range of a wireless network, a pop-up balloon appears on the taskbar, indicating that a network is available. If one of your preferred networks is within range, clicking the balloon automatically connects you to that network. If Windows XP doesn't recognize any of the networks, clicking the balloon displays the Wireless Network Connection dialog box. With this dialog box, you can choose the network that you want to join (if more than one network is listed) and then click Connect to join the selected network.

After you join a wireless network, a network status icon appears in the notification area of the taskbar. You can quickly see the network status by hovering the mouse cursor over this icon; a balloon appears to indicate the state of the connection. For more detailed information, you can click the status icon to display the Wireless Network Connection Status dialog box, as shown in Figure 9-8.

Figure 9-8: The Wireless Network Connection Status dialog box.

This dialog box provides the following items of information:

• Status: Indicates whether you're connected.

• Duration: Indicates how long you've been connected.

• Speed: Indicates the current network speed.

  Tip 

  Ideally, this option should say 11 Mbps for an 802.11b network, or 54 Mbps for an 802.11a or 802.11g network. However, if the network connection is not of the highest quality, the speed may drop to a lower value.

• Signal Strength: Displays a graphical representation of the quality of the signal.

• Packets Sent & Received: Indicates how many packets of data you sent and received over the network.

Tip 

You can click the Properties button to open the Connection Properties dialog box for the wireless connection.