Wireless Network Setup Wizard

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I want to change the SSID and security mode on my Belkin router except I am unsure of the steps. I tried changing the SSID before and it mucked up my wireless network. I figured out that my notebook needs to know the new SSID (I think) but I don’t know where to set up that info on the notebook. I looked at the Wireless Network Setup in Control Panel but it too seems vague. I can either set up a new network or add to the current network. If I select Add, all the wizard does is copy the current settings either to a flash device or hard copy via printing. If I use the flash drive it tells me to plug the flash drive into the Wireless Access Point, plug the flash drive into each device being added to the network, plug the flash drive back into the main pc and click next. First, what is my WAP? I looked on my router but don’t see a place for a flash drive. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to change the SSID on my desktop and have the notebook still be able to be networked?

TIA

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I have to make some assumptions here, to help you, I will try to be explicit but you need to check that these are true…

1. You are running Windows XP
2. You have installed the Belkin software
3. You have configured the Belkin Wireless network utility so that Windows is managing the network adapter (see first graphic)

If this is all the true then you should modify your SSID like this…

• Open the properties of your Wireless Network connection
• Select the “Wireless Networks” tab (see second graphic)
• Click Add…
• Type in the new SSID, and set the other security parameters to match your Network Access Point
• Wait till everything is working correctly and then Remove the old network from the Wireless Networks tab
  [/list]StuartR

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Stuart, I don’t know where to find the Belkin Wireless Config Utility. The CD that came with my router doesn’t have me DO anything and I can’t see that it installed any programs for me to run. It is just a setup CD. Any changes I make are done on a web page after typing my IP address. And yes, I am running XP. Is there somewhere in Windows I go to get to your first graphic?

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I knew I was going to fail to document an assumption! The first graphic comes with the software for a Belkin Wireless card that fits in your PC.

What is the model of Wireless Network Adapter you are using? Does it have a similar utility?
If you look at the properties of your Wireless card does it look like my second screen shot?

StuartR

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I think I need to explain my wireless setup. My notebook came with a wired and wireless network card. I use the router so I can have Internet access from the notebook. I don’t think my desktop is wireless. See the picture attached – my desktop network adapter. I don’t know how to send 2 pictures so I will do a 2nd post of my notebook network adapter.

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Hi Sherry,
I just wanted to clarify, as a couple of your posts have been a bit ambiguous, that if your desktop machine is not using a wireless connection, it does not have a SSID. The Workgroup name and SSID are not the same thing and the SSID only applies to the wireless part of your network. Hence you only need to change that on your laptop and your router.
HTH.

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OK. I think I am getting it now. I will let you know if it works after I follow the instructions Stuart sent. This whole wireless thing is a bit confusing to me – but trying to figure this out is making it a bit clearer.

Thanks.

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Here is the Notebook……

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OK, so your notebook has an Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG network adapter. This is the thing we need to configure to have the new SSID.

You can find the user guide for this here. Note the line near the end of the first paragraph on the page that says “The software is compatible with the Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection.”

The user guide explains how to enable Windows to manage your Wireless connection (so you can follow the instructions above), or how to use the Intel utility to add the new network name.

StuartR

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Great! I will look into this as soon as I get home tonight.

Thanks a lot!!

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The Intel Pro/Wireless software on my PC says it is version 8.0 and looks nothing like the screenshots in the user guide (see attached). I have only one tab and no options on the menus – meaning that each menu item says empty. I’ll have to figure out who to contact for help – Gateway or Intel. At least I understand a little more about my wireless network. Thanks for your help.

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Have you got an ON / OFF switch for the wireless option on your notebook? I’ve seen it as a simple slide switch on Toshiba notebooks, and on my IBM Thinkpad, it’s a key combination of Fn + F5. You’ll want to check your manual / quickstart / help information to verify. If you do have this switch, make sure it’s in the on position. For reference, my Thinkpad also has the Intel 2200 wireless chipset.

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I couldn’t get the Belkin software to work and the Gateway tech said to remove it (Add,Remove Programs). Something about “3rd party add-ons” never working. He said just make my changes through Network Connections which I did.

After changing the SSID in the router setup I was able to add a connection on the notebook that worked. In fact, in all my playing around, there were times that I changed the SSID and the notebook “found” the connection without me adding it. Other times it didn’t (?). However, I have not yet been able to change the security mode successfully. Every time I change it, either using WPA or 128 bit, the notebook can’t find the connection. When I create the PSK on the Router, it says I can use a 40 character, case sensitive PSK. When I create the connection on the notebook, it asks me to type the PSK and when I do it gives me an error message about the PSK must be between 6-12 character hex-something…. I’m quoting from memory here since I didn’t write it down.

If I use WPA-PSK I don’t want the notebook to have to “login”… And I tried the 128 bit, selecting the check-box for “this number is automatically supplied” but the notebook still had issues.

That’s where I stand so far. I will have to play with this later. Sometimes it seems I spend more time trying to protect my PCs than I do using them.

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Sounds like a good start.

To configure WPA Pre Shared Key (PSK) you should be running Windows XP SP2

Set up the key on your access point, then configure Windows to use the same key. If it is asking for 6 to 12 character hex keys then either you have an earlier version of Windows, or you are trying to configure WEP rather than WPA-PSK.

StuartR

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This article has some information plus links: The Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)/Wireless Provisioning Services Information Element (WPS IE) update for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 is available.

Joe

--Joe

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