Controlling which BSSID my W2K client connects to

8 Nov 2006 3:55 PM

rich923email-usenet1

I am currently using a ZyAir G110 wireless card with a Windows 2000
machine along with the connection software that came with it
(WL54CFG.exe). When I connect at a hotel and do a site survey, I see
three different entries that match the hotels SSID, SpeedLinks, each
with their own BSSID or mac address. They all use the same channel.
Two are using the B protocol (802.11B ?) and one is using the G
protocol. One of the B's has a signal strength of 50 lets say while
the other B and the G have a signal strength of 15. Assume for this
discussion that the site survey reported signal strengths are an
accurate representation of the actual signal strength that each BSSID
would get. It doesn't matter how many times I say connect to the 50,
when I go back to the current connection screen, the signal strength is
15. Its like the zyair client is trying to "help" me by always
connecting to an available G connection, eventhough the B signal
strength is much higher.

Is there a different wireless client program I can use that will let me
restrict my connection to a specific BSSID until further notice, or a
different wireless card that would make this easier? Any insight would
be helpful.

8 Nov 2006 8:47 PM

Jack (MVP-Networking).

Hi
You can try to use Boingo Free Wireless Management software (it works with
any WLAN you do not need use the Boingo service).
http://www.boingo.com/download.html
Jack (MVP-Networking).

<rich923email-usen***@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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news:1163001310.513118.111730@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I am currently using a ZyAir G110 wireless card with a Windows 2000
> machine along with the connection software that came with it
> (WL54CFG.exe). When I connect at a hotel and do a site survey, I see
> three different entries that match the hotels SSID, SpeedLinks, each
> with their own BSSID or mac address. They all use the same channel.
> Two are using the B protocol (802.11B ?) and one is using the G
> protocol. One of the B's has a signal strength of 50 lets say while
> the other B and the G have a signal strength of 15. Assume for this
> discussion that the site survey reported signal strengths are an
> accurate representation of the actual signal strength that each BSSID
> would get. It doesn't matter how many times I say connect to the 50,
> when I go back to the current connection screen, the signal strength is
> 15. Its like the zyair client is trying to "help" me by always
> connecting to an available G connection, eventhough the B signal
> strength is much higher.
>
> Is there a different wireless client program I can use that will let me
> restrict my connection to a specific BSSID until further notice, or a
> different wireless card that would make this easier? Any insight would
> be helpful.
>

9 Nov 2006 6:17 PM

Tony

On Wed, 08 Nov 2006 23:47:29 +0300, Jack (MVP-Networking).
<J***@discussiongroup.com> wrote:

> You can try to use Boingo Free Wireless Management software

I gave it a try...
Very frustrating. I did not authenticate me with my EAP-TLS
WPA2-Enterprize network.

I tryed to store my cert in the Aladdin's USB eToken PRO. It saw the cert
but it never really tryed to use it - no requests for the token's PIN were
seen (therefore it never went to ask me for the RSA-key-passphraze as
well).
Then I imported my cert into the registry store with the "strong
protection" option enabled. The same miserable failure - no prompts for
the password.

Even if it worked - it is *SUCH* a resource hog! More than 40Megs of RAM
used... Insane!

If MS's developers look here - please, enhance the WZC service to handle
the PKCS#11 hardware storages and methods.
I'd like to use WZC solely and securely...

Tony.

10 Nov 2006 12:28 PM

rich923email-usenet1

Jack (MVP-Networking). wrote:

> Hi
> You can try to use Boingo Free Wireless Management software (it works with
> any WLAN you do not need use the Boingo service).
> http://www.boingo.com/download.html
> Jack (MVP-Networking).

Thanks for the suggestion Jack. I installed the Boingo software but
won't be back at the hotel where I have issues until next week. I am
using Boingo with my home wireless network but I don't see anywhere
where it will let me restrict or control which BSSID it will connect to
when there is more than one for the same SSID. I am not really hopeful
it will address my stated problem, but thanks again anyway!

Rich

10 Nov 2006 12:47 PM

Tony

On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:28:40 +0300, <rich923email-usen***@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I am using Boingo with my home wireless network but I don't see anywhere
> where it will let me restrict or control which BSSID it will connect to
> when there is more than one for the same SSID.

I believe that it may be possible to tune in the WiFi adapter's driver
advanced properties - something like the "Roaming tendency".

Tony.