[OT] IP Problems in Windoze - hidden SSID problem?

[Amanda Yilmaz]

Does your wireless network have a hidden SSID, and are you using Windows
XP?  If so, you may be falling victim to a particularly stupid problem
in Windows XP, specifically its Wireless Zero Configuration ("WZC")
service.

When I was first setting up my parents' wireless network, I spent an
insane amount of time trying unsuccessfully to convince my mother's
company-issued XP laptop to automatically connect to their wireless
router, which originally had SSID broadcast disabled.  (My parents live
in an urban area with literally dozens of other wireless networks in the
immediate area, and I was trying not to provide an obvious target for
hacking.)  Even adding the router's SSID to the Windows "Preferred
Networks" list didn't work; my mother's machine would consistently
connect to their neighbours' (wide-open) network instead of their own. 
My father's iBook, on the other hand, was consistently able to connect
and reconnect to the router with no problems.

After some Googling, the awful truth was revealed: the WZC service is
specifically designed to try *all* visible SSIDs before trying *any*
hidden ones in the "Preferred Networks" list.  This means that if your
router has a hidden SSID, and your neighbour has an open network with a
visible SSID, Windows XP will *always* connect to your neighbour's
network, even if your own network is higher in the "Preferred Networks"
priority list and has a stronger signal.

If this turns out to be your situation, you have the following options:
(1) Turn off the WZC service, and always connect to your network
manually; (2) Turn off the WZC service, and use a third-party tool (such
as your wireless card vendor's own software) to enable roaming; or (3)
Re-enable SSID broadcasting on your router.

When I tried searching Microsoft's website at the time about ways to
resolve this problem, all I found were pious statements to the effect
that you really shouldn't be hiding your SSID anyway (naughty, naughty),
and that they specifically discouraged SSID hiding as a matter of
policy.  With the release of Vista, they seem to have backed down from
this position somewhat, as Vista allows you to connect to hidden
wireless networks by setting up a manual wireless connection and
enabling the "Connect even if the network is not broadcasting" checkbox.
 (Not that this is any reason to consider "upgrading" to Vista, of
course.)

Here are some references that explain the WZC system and Windows
wireless configuration issues in more detail (boy, am I going to feel
dirty typing these in):

***

Windows Wireless Zero Configuration: Five Steps to Sanity
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/3577111

Windows XP Wireless Auto Configuration: The Cable Guy, November 2002
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg1102.mspx

Wireless LAN Client in Microsoft Windows - Configuration and
Authentication
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/chats/trans/network/net1111.mspx

You cannot reconnect to a wireless network that uses a hidden SSID after
you manually disconnect from that network on a Windows XP Service Pack
2-based computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907405/en-us

Velocity Reviews forums: Wireless Networking - xp wireless :-((
http://www.velocityreviews.com/forums/t4652-xp-wireless-.html

Velocity Reviews forums: Wireless Networking - Hidden SSID
http://www.velocityreviews.com/forums/t299090-hidden-ssid.html

Connecting to non-broadcast wireless networks in Windows Vista
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929661/en-us

***

Time to wash my hands...

Amanda


----- Original message -----
From: "Paul King" <sciguy-Ja3L+HSX0kI at public.gmane.org>
To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org
Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 22:39:24 -0400
Subject: [TLUG]: [OT] IP Problems in Windoze

Hello:

I seem to be logging on to an outside network that has superceded my
router. 
The address family of my laptop is now 164.*.*.*, when it ought to be
192.*.*.* 
(the address family of my router).

Before anyone tells me to give security encryption a try, I would like
to know 
if there is a way to overcome this problem first.

FWIW, the network is not recognised at all in Linux. But in Windows, I
can see 
into other people's laptops, probably in a nearby restaurant.

All this, and no Internet.

Other computers on my local network are working properly, though.

Any help would be appreciated

Regards

Paul King

--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists