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

Tue May 15 10:16:31 UTC 2007

Thank you very much for all your trouble. I left my SSID name as "default" 
(factory setting), and I think someone else did the same in a nearby wireless 
network. Thing is, my router broadcasts the SSID by default, but it is likely 
that both routers did.

I will try to read all of the articles when I get the chance.

Paul King

> 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
> 
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