Wireless zero configuration (WZC)

[wan_amri]

I have to use WZC to manage my wireless network on my laptop because the one that comes with my router CD doesn't work although its software has been installed. If I didn't disable this, WZC kept stopping before I had chance to connect to the network despite I set its startup type to Automatic.

The first time I tried to connect to my network it asked me for security encryption key (WEP type not WPA) beforehand.

After that it never asked me the key anymore. When I turn my laptop on, the wireless network connection icon on status bar tells me that my laptop is connected, and when I view my network it tells that it is connected and it is security-enabled wireless network.

For your information, when I finish using the network or my laptop, I shut it down without disconnecting the network but I turn the router power off from the main.

My questions are:

1. Is it because I set the WZC startup type to Automatic that causes the laptop to connect to the network automatically without asking the security key?

2. If I leave it like that, how secure is my network and will it be easy for others to piggyback my network?

3. Is it because I don't disconnect after using the network that it doesn't ask for the security key when I connect to my network?

4. If I change the startup type of WZC to Manual, will it ask me for the security key each time I try to connect to my network?

Thanks for your help.

[Huderon]

1. No. Windows stores your login details and uses the stored details to connect to your network.

2. WEP is less secure than WPA, but it's unlikely that someone is going to go to the bother of analysing your network traffic to get the passphrase so that they can use your network connection. WEP can also be analysed and cracked, it's just not as easy as cracking WEP. You could set up your router to only allow a connection from specific MAC addresses (i.e. the MAC address associated with your laptop), which would increase your security, but even MAC addresses can be spoofed.

3. No. See the answer to 1

4. No. Setting it to manual just means that you will have to initiate the connection manually rather than have it happen every time you turn the laptop on.

Here there is one PC (this one) which used a wired connection, and two which use wireless. Both the wireless connections are automatic, and apart from when they were set up, the passphrase has never been needed - just as well because I'm the only one round here who can remember it !. Wireless access is also restricted to those two machines by use of their MAC addresses.

If you need to know how to limit access to specific MAC addresses, the information should be with the router's documentation. But if you have a Netgear WGR614 router I can give you step-by-step instructions.

[wan_amri]

Hello,

Thank you for your explanation.

My router is indeed Netgrear WGR614 54Mbps. Would you let me know step by step how to do that MAC please.

Thanks.

[ChuckFickens]

Wan, don't bother doing the MAC address filtering..

just use WPA security, if somebody really wants to break into your network they will regardless of the having mac filtering on or not, what you've got to ask your self is why would anybody go to the trouble to do so.... I assume your not a bank or a government department.

Basic WPA will stop the chancers.

[Huderon]

Chuck is right of course. People can find ways of getting onto your wireless link if they really want to, but the chances are that nobody is really going to go to the trouble of doing so.

However, if you want to restrice access to your MAC address ...

Use your browser to connect to your router (on mine the address is http://192.168.1.1) and log on to the router.

Down the left hand side of the page you'll see, under Advanced, an entry for Wireless Settings. Click on it.

On the page which is displayed there is an entry for Wireless Card Access List - click on the Setup Access List button.

Click in the box beside Turn Access Control On, then click the Add button.

You should see a list of available wireless cards displayed - there will probably only be one, which is your laptop. Click on the radio button beside it and the device name and MAC address fields below the list will be filled in for you. Finally click the Add button and then log out from the router.

If there is more than one card listed, in XP, use Stert, Run and then type cmd into the box. This will bring up a DOS like window. type "ipconfig /all" at the prompt (omit the quotes). Scroll the screen back up and look for and note the physical address (which will be in the form xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx where the xx is a number or letter).

Go back to that list of available cards and click in the radio box beside the one which shows a MAC address which matches the physical address you just noted down, then click the Add button and log out.

[wan_amri]

Hi Chuck, my adapter card can't use WPA ... only WEP because it is old model.

Hi Huderon thanks for the instruction. I've done following ur instruction. Thank u very much.