Hack50.Fix Windows Wireless

Hack 50. Fix Windows Wireless

Windows Wireless is largely self-configuring and mostly problem free. But Windows can sometimes shoot itself in the foot, and so it is sometimes with its Wireless Zero Configuration Service.

Works with: Windows version of Skype.

The Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Service (WZCS) is meant to help you, by doing all of the wireless configuration on your behalf. But it can become as much of a hindrance as a help as far as Skype is concerned.

During operation, the WZCS constantly hunts around for a better WiFi connection, and if it finds one, it switches you to that connection and away from your current connection. However, this switch is not instantaneous. This is not a problem if you are, say, browsing the Internet, as the momentary disruption to your Internet connection is not noticeable. However, Skype is sensitive to both latency and packet loss, both of which are adversely affected during the switch. if you are in a WiFi "noisy" location, the WZCS might constantly try to switch your machine from one access point to another, and possibly back again. Even the WZCS's habit of continuously hunting around for a better wireless connection by hopping from access point to access point can degrade call quality, as latency is injected into your connection and packets are lost.

Fortunately, the WZCS, which is switched on by default in Windows, can be disabled, but only after Windows startup; otherwise, your wireless services will fail to start. After Windows startup, you can stop the WZCS by selecting Start Control Panel Administrative Tools Services, right-clicking on Wireless Zero Configuration, and choosing Stop.

Alternatively, if you don't want to have to remember this sequence of actions every time you start Windows, you can add the following entry to the Windows registry using RegEdit (select Start Run…, enter "RegEdit," and click OK) to do the job for you:

 HKEY_CURRENT_USER   Software     Microsoft         Windows            Current Version               Run                 WZCS-Killer REG_SZ "c:\windows\system32\net.exe" stop WZCSVC 

4.9.1. See Also

• If you have a wireless or nonwireless router that is causing problems, you might want to look at "Fix Badly Behaving Routers" [Hack #51].