Add the Home SSID to the Preferred Network List
After you set the SSID on your home gateway, you may need to add it to your preferred network list if Windows XP
Wireless Auto Configuration is enabled. (Although automatic configuration is nice to have, your IT department may have disabled it on your laptop in order to meet their needs. If they have, you'll need to use the tool provided by your laptop or wireless manufacturer to manually configure wireless settings.) To manually add your home wireless network to the list of preferred networks when Wireless Auto Configuration is enabled, follow these steps:
•
In
Control Panel, click
Network and Internet Connections, and then click
Network Connections.
•
Right-click the
Wireless Network Connection, and then click
Properties.
•
On the
Wireless Networks tab, shown in Figure 3, click
Add.
Figure 3
•
In the
Wireless network properties dialog box, shown in Figure 4, enter the SSID you configured for your wireless gateway (ExampleHome_g in this example.)
Figure 4
Note: Figure 4 assumes you've added the Windows WPA Client Update. If you haven't downloaded and installed it, you probably should. For more on the WPA Client Update, see
Overview of the WPA Wireless Security Update in Window XP.
•
Fill in the rest of the fields, including the necessary authentication and encryption information based on the configuration of your wireless gateway.
•
Click
OK and your home network will be added to the list of preferred networks.
Now, whenever you're at home, your work laptop should automatically see your home wireless network and connect to it.
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