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Question:
I'm having problems picking up any networks that are in
a new location. Any networks I've previously been on
will work, i.e. at my parents' house, at the hospital,
etc. But at any new location, such as when I was at the
beach, the computer will not connect to the network. I
never see that the new networks are available; the
computer just won't show them. I'm running the Windows
Vista operating system.
Answer:
There shouldn't be any particular reason why new
networks aren't appearing and old ones are, says
Dianne Dunlap
, a wireless consultant in the
Raleigh, N.C.
, area. But she says there are a few things you can try
in Vista to troubleshoot the problem.
First,
make sure Service Pack 1 or two Vista patches, KB932063
and KB935222, are installed. There are a number of
wireless fixes in those patches and service pack, Dunlap
said.
You can
determine the service pack you're using by going to the
"Start" menu, then "Control Panel"
and clicking on the link for the "System" main
screen. You can see your patches by clicking on
"Control Panel," then "Add or remove
programs," "Show Updates" and the
"Microsoft Software Update" section.
If all
patches have been applied, the next thing to check would
be the wireless network interface card drivers, Dunlap
said.
You can
find your NIC vendor by going to the control panel,
selecting the "System" category, clicking on
"Device manager," "Network adapters"
and "Wireless adapter." The "Driver"
tab for the card will show the date of the drivers. You
can download updated drivers from the wireless vendor's
Web site — try Googling the manufacturer and
"wireless drivers."
Now let's
pause for a quick definition: In wireless networks,
software called the supplicant is responsible for making
login requests to a network and maintaining the
connection when the card roams from one access point to
another. You can use a supplicant from your card vendor
or
Microsoft's
"wireless-0" supplicant, which is known as
"WLAN Config" in Vista. Having both
supplicants installed on the PC is not a problem and
will usually provide more options for you, Dunlap said.
Examples
of vendor supplicants include Intel Proset, Broadcom
Wireless Utility and
D-Link's
"Wireless Connection Manager." If one of these
has been installed, it will typically appear on the
desktop or under "All Programs" on the
"Start" menu. If you don't see it, you can
install the vendor supplicant from the CD/DVD that came
with your wireless card or download it from the vendor
Web site.
If you
want the card to be managed by WLAN Config, you must
start that service and designate it as the card manager.
Do this from the control panel by selecting
"Administrative Tools," "Services"
and "WLAN Config."
Then,
from the control panel, choose "Network and Sharing
Center" and "Change Adapter Settings."
Check to be sure the card is enabled. If "Network
and Sharing Center" is opening OK, check
"Manage Wireless Networks." Even if a wireless
network isn't seen in your physical area, any previously
defined wireless profiles should be listed.
In
"Properties" for those networks, make sure
"Connect even if the network is not broadcasting
its name" and "Connect automatically when this
network is in range" are checked.
If you
choose to use your vendor supplicant, it may have
similar settings, Dunlap said.
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