Wireless Home Networking - Index of

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Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
Figure 7-3:
The
Wireless
Network
Connection
Properties
dialog box.
5. In the Network Key text box, type the WPA passphrase you used in the
AP configuration, enter the key again in the Confirm Network Key text
box, and then click the Connect button.
The dialog box disappears, and Windows XP displays a balloon message
that announces a wireless network connection and indicates the connection’s
speed and signal strength (poor, good, or excellent). The Network
icon on the status bar occasionally flashes green to indicate network
traffic on the wireless connection.
In a matter of minutes, you have installed and configured a wireless network
connection. If you have trouble connecting, you can access more configuration
information by clicking the Advanced button in the Wireless Network
Connection dialog box (refer to Figure 7-2) to display the Wireless
Network Connection Properties dialog box (Figure 7-3).
Automatic network connections
Easy installation and configuration is only half the Windows XP wireless networking
story. If you know that you will use your computer to connect to
several different wireless networks — perhaps one at home and another at
work — Windows XP enables you to configure the wireless adapter to automatically
detect and connect to each network on-the-fly, without further
configuration.
To configure one or more wireless networks for automatic connection, follow
these steps: