Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Hi,
Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless network with
several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly roam' between them?

I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x enabled
and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate correctly but will
not roam when moving to another area.

Thanks,
RogerC

RE: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

How large an area do you need to cover?
Roaming and random connections leaves you open to unauthorised access.
If you have all the access points set up the same then network adapters in
the Laptops will not properly differentiate between the APs: except for
signal strength, so you'd need to set channels differently for each one.

Many issues in doing what you have suggested, and why 2 APs per server?

My basic recommendations follow this:

OK you have a PC connected to the internet at home or the office and you
want other PCs to share the internet access. Hopefully you’ll have Cable or
DSL internet access.
What should one do?
First, make sure everything you buy conforms to the dominant wireless
standard known as 802.11b, or Wi-Fi (short for wireless fidelity). That way
you can mix brands, operating systems, even network a Mac to a Windows PC and
everything should still work together.
There are two new, faster versions of Wi-Fi: 802.11a and 802.11g. "A" is for
business use; "g" is for the home. Both bump networking speeds up from 11
megabits per second to 54 mbps. But unless you're moving around big video
files or sharing other graphics-rich multimedia applications, "b" will be
more than sufficient. If you still want "g," wait until the standard has been
officially ratified this summer.
The heart of your network will be a wireless access point and the Internet
Access or preferably one device that does both called a router, acting as
Wireless Access Point and cable or DSL modem and Network Switch. The
two-in-one units, available from Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and others, start
at about $100; with a few Ethernet ports and USB port too, so you can connect
to PCs using a standard Ethernet cable or USB cable.
To establish a wireless connection between a desktop PC and the wireless
router, you need a USB or Ethernet Cable.
To connect a notebook PC, you'll need a wireless PC card. If new notebooks
have Wi-Fi capabilities built in. Notebooks with Intel's new Centrino chip,
for example, are Wi-Fi-enabled.
Note that 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b — meaning a laptop
with a "g" card will talk to a "b" router, albeit at the slower speed — but
802.11a is not. If your office installs an 802.11a network, get a dual-band
wireless PC card for your laptop so that it can connect both at home and at
work.
Make sure that the software that comes with your gear will walk you through
the installation. The steps will vary slightly, depending on each computer's
operating system. The older the OS, the trickier it can be; Windows XP is
designed to detect and configure a PC card to talk to an existing network.
Before you start, gather the following information:
• your broadband connection's IP address, e.g., 123.43.2.1
• subnet mask, e.g., 255.255.122.0
• default gateway e.g., 192.168.0.2
• DNS IP addresses e.g., 123.123.123.1
You can get these things from your Internet provider; your customer-service
rep will know what you're talking about (or you can find this using the
Properties tab, under Network Connections). Each is just a series of numbers
(e.g., 123.43.2.1) that you'll be prompted to plug in during setup. (If your
provider supports a protocol called DHCP, your router should retrieve these
settings automatically when you plug it in.)
You may also be asked to choose an SSID (service set identifier) I recommend
that you do not accept the default setting as anyone nearby with a wireless
device can also use your internet access. Set your SSID to a meaningful name
use your Business Name. For work-group name use ‘Wireless’ and a wireless
channel select from 1 – 11, I recommend you use a higher channel as default
settings usually select the lower end. Keep these consistent for all of your
machines.
Security
For additional security you can and should use Wired Equivalent Privacy
(WEP) algorithm: and set this at 64bit: you can then choose a combination of
10 hexadecimal characters [0-9 + A-F], again for this may I recommend you
select your mobile phone number as it is 10 characters long and not known to
all your neighbours.
Additionally you can set the Access Point to only allow access to specific
units, where you would enter their MAC address, again a series of Hex
numbers, usually found on the Wireless Card plugged into the Laptops or other
desktop PCs.




"RogerC" wrote:

> Hi,
> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless network with
> several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly roam' between them?
>
> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x enabled
> and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate correctly but will
> not roam when moving to another area.
>
> Thanks,
> RogerC
>
>
>

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Perhaps you get more answers if you ask more specific questions

"clients will not roam when moving" is rather vague. Do they stay connected
to the old AP? Do they loose their connection, even though another AP is in
range? Is the connection reestablished but slightly interrupted?

"RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:eVZq7apiEHA.1344@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless network
> with several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly roam' between
> them?
>
> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x enabled
> and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate correctly but will
> not roam when moving to another area.
>
> Thanks,
> RogerC
>

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

"RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in
news:eVZq7apiEHA.1344@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl:

> Hi,
> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless
> network with several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly
> roam' between them?
>
> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
> enabled and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate
> correctly but will not roam when moving to another area.
>
> Thanks,
> RogerC
>
>

Hi Roger --

You did not mention which authentication method you have deployed, but I am
going to assume it is PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 since roaming is a feature of that
auth method.

To enable roaming, also called fast reconnect, in the IAS wireless remote
access policy, go to the Properties for PEAP and click "Enable Fast
Reconnect."

On clients, in the Smart card or other certificate properties of a wireless
network, select "Validate server certificate."

--
James McIllece, Microsoft

Please do not send email directly to this alias. This is my online account
name for newsgroup participation only.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Hi Bar,
Thanks for your response.
To clarify a few points....
I did not say "2 APs per server" - I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are
DC's with IAS configured. The 4 Access points are setup to use both of them
as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are set
with the same SSID but all different channels.
The clients and servers use PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 authentication with 'fast
reconnect' enabled on the laptop and servers
The building I am trying to cover is a long two storey office block with a
large central staircase. I need an access point in each 'wing' to get
sufficient coverage.
A laptop user will successfully authenticate against the nearest access
point but if he/she moves to another wing to say go for a meeting, even
though there is an access point in the meeting room area the laptop will
remain on the original access point even though the signal is too weak to be
useable.

RogerC

"BAR" <BAR@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E83086FC-8261-4EF5-93A7-3A1E0801F107@microsoft.com...
> How large an area do you need to cover?
> Roaming and random connections leaves you open to unauthorised access.
> If you have all the access points set up the same then network adapters in
> the Laptops will not properly differentiate between the APs: except for
> signal strength, so you'd need to set channels differently for each one.
>
> Many issues in doing what you have suggested, and why 2 APs per server?
>
> My basic recommendations follow this:
>
> OK you have a PC connected to the internet at home or the office and you
> want other PCs to share the internet access. Hopefully you'll have Cable
> or
> DSL internet access.
> What should one do?
> First, make sure everything you buy conforms to the dominant wireless
> standard known as 802.11b, or Wi-Fi (short for wireless fidelity). That
> way
> you can mix brands, operating systems, even network a Mac to a Windows PC
> and
> everything should still work together.
> There are two new, faster versions of Wi-Fi: 802.11a and 802.11g. "A" is
> for
> business use; "g" is for the home. Both bump networking speeds up from 11
> megabits per second to 54 mbps. But unless you're moving around big video
> files or sharing other graphics-rich multimedia applications, "b" will be
> more than sufficient. If you still want "g," wait until the standard has
> been
> officially ratified this summer.
> The heart of your network will be a wireless access point and the Internet
> Access or preferably one device that does both called a router, acting as
> Wireless Access Point and cable or DSL modem and Network Switch. The
> two-in-one units, available from Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and others,
> start
> at about $100; with a few Ethernet ports and USB port too, so you can
> connect
> to PCs using a standard Ethernet cable or USB cable.
> To establish a wireless connection between a desktop PC and the wireless
> router, you need a USB or Ethernet Cable.
> To connect a notebook PC, you'll need a wireless PC card. If new
> notebooks
> have Wi-Fi capabilities built in. Notebooks with Intel's new Centrino
> chip,
> for example, are Wi-Fi-enabled.
> Note that 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b - meaning a laptop
> with a "g" card will talk to a "b" router, albeit at the slower speed -
> but
> 802.11a is not. If your office installs an 802.11a network, get a
> dual-band
> wireless PC card for your laptop so that it can connect both at home and
> at
> work.
> Make sure that the software that comes with your gear will walk you
> through
> the installation. The steps will vary slightly, depending on each
> computer's
> operating system. The older the OS, the trickier it can be; Windows XP is
> designed to detect and configure a PC card to talk to an existing network.
> Before you start, gather the following information:
> . your broadband connection's IP address, e.g., 123.43.2.1
> . subnet mask, e.g., 255.255.122.0
> . default gateway e.g., 192.168.0.2
> . DNS IP addresses e.g., 123.123.123.1
> You can get these things from your Internet provider; your
> customer-service
> rep will know what you're talking about (or you can find this using the
> Properties tab, under Network Connections). Each is just a series of
> numbers
> (e.g., 123.43.2.1) that you'll be prompted to plug in during setup. (If
> your
> provider supports a protocol called DHCP, your router should retrieve
> these
> settings automatically when you plug it in.)
> You may also be asked to choose an SSID (service set identifier) I
> recommend
> that you do not accept the default setting as anyone nearby with a
> wireless
> device can also use your internet access. Set your SSID to a meaningful
> name
> use your Business Name. For work-group name use 'Wireless' and a
> wireless
> channel select from 1 - 11, I recommend you use a higher channel as
> default
> settings usually select the lower end. Keep these consistent for all of
> your
> machines.
> Security
> For additional security you can and should use Wired Equivalent Privacy
> (WEP) algorithm: and set this at 64bit: you can then choose a combination
> of
> 10 hexadecimal characters [0-9 + A-F], again for this may I recommend you
> select your mobile phone number as it is 10 characters long and not known
> to
> all your neighbours.
> Additionally you can set the Access Point to only allow access to specific
> units, where you would enter their MAC address, again a series of Hex
> numbers, usually found on the Wireless Card plugged into the Laptops or
> other
> desktop PCs.
>
>
>
>
> "RogerC" wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
>> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
>> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless network
>> with
>> several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly roam' between
>> them?
>>
>> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
>> enabled
>> and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate correctly but will
>> not roam when moving to another area.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> RogerC
>>
>>
>>

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Hi James,
Thanks for your response.
Yes, I am using PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 and I have "Enable Fast Reconnect." enabled
on both servers and laptops.
But.. I don't have "Validate server certificate." enabled on the laptops -
where does this come into the roaming issue if my users authenticate
correctly without it being enabled?

I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are DC's with IAS configured. The 4
Access points are setup to use both of them
as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are set
with the same SSID but all different channels.
Is this the correct setup?

RogerC

"James McIllece [MS]" <jamesmci@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9550A59C6D12Ajamesmcionlinemicros@207.46.2 48.16...
> "RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in
> news:eVZq7apiEHA.1344@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl:
>
>> Hi,
>> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
>> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
>> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless
>> network with several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly
>> roam' between them?
>>
>> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
>> enabled and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate
>> correctly but will not roam when moving to another area.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> RogerC
>>
>>
>
> Hi Roger --
>
> You did not mention which authentication method you have deployed, but I
> am
> going to assume it is PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 since roaming is a feature of that
> auth method.
>
> To enable roaming, also called fast reconnect, in the IAS wireless remote
> access policy, go to the Properties for PEAP and click "Enable Fast
> Reconnect."
>
> On clients, in the Smart card or other certificate properties of a
> wireless
> network, select "Validate server certificate."
>
> --
> James McIllece, Microsoft
>
> Please do not send email directly to this alias. This is my online
> account
> name for newsgroup participation only.
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Hi
Try to set the access points to different channels. I.e. they should not be
on the same channel.
Jack (MVP-Networking).


"RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:u8SgCQwiEHA.2068@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> Hi James,
> Thanks for your response.
> Yes, I am using PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 and I have "Enable Fast Reconnect."
enabled
> on both servers and laptops.
> But.. I don't have "Validate server certificate." enabled on the
laptops -
> where does this come into the roaming issue if my users authenticate
> correctly without it being enabled?
>
> I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are DC's with IAS configured. The 4
> Access points are setup to use both of them
> as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are set
> with the same SSID but all different channels.
> Is this the correct setup?
>
> RogerC
>
> "James McIllece [MS]" <jamesmci@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9550A59C6D12Ajamesmcionlinemicros@207.46.2 48.16...
> > "RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in
> > news:eVZq7apiEHA.1344@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl:
> >
> >> Hi,
> >> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
> >> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
> >> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless
> >> network with several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly
> >> roam' between them?
> >>
> >> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
> >> enabled and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate
> >> correctly but will not roam when moving to another area.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> RogerC
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Hi Roger --
> >
> > You did not mention which authentication method you have deployed, but I
> > am
> > going to assume it is PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 since roaming is a feature of that
> > auth method.
> >
> > To enable roaming, also called fast reconnect, in the IAS wireless
remote
> > access policy, go to the Properties for PEAP and click "Enable Fast
> > Reconnect."
> >
> > On clients, in the Smart card or other certificate properties of a
> > wireless
> > network, select "Validate server certificate."
> >
> > --
> > James McIllece, Microsoft
> >
> > Please do not send email directly to this alias. This is my online
> > account
> > name for newsgroup participation only.
> >
> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> > rights.
>
>

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

"RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in
news:u8SgCQwiEHA.2068@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl:

> Hi James,
> Thanks for your response.
> Yes, I am using PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 and I have "Enable Fast Reconnect."
> enabled on both servers and laptops.
> But.. I don't have "Validate server certificate." enabled on the
> laptops - where does this come into the roaming issue if my users
> authenticate correctly without it being enabled?
>
> I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are DC's with IAS configured. The
> 4 Access points are setup to use both of them
> as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are
> set with the same SSID but all different channels.
> Is this the correct setup?
>
> RogerC
>
>snip<

PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 provides mutual authentication which cannot correctly occur
if clients are not configured to validate the server certificate; in
addition, and more importantly, clients are exposed to some security
vulnerabilities if they do not validate the server certificate, such as
unknowing connection to a rogue network deployed by an attacker attempting
to capture user name and password during the authentication attempt.

It sounds like you have the APs configured correctly. Here are a couple of
whitepapers you can take a look at to verify and/or troubleshoot your
configuration:

Troubleshooting Windows XP IEEE 802.11 Wireless Access
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...n/wifitrbl.msp
x

"Enterprise Deployment of Secure 802.11 Networks Using Microsoft Windows"
at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...s/default.mspx


--
James McIllece, Microsoft

Please do not send email directly to this alias. This is my online account
name for newsgroup participation only.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Hi Jack,
You have misread my post..
It said "The access points are set with the same SSID but all different
channels."
Thanks for replying anyway.
RogerC

"Jack" <JackMDS at veriz0n.net> wrote in message
news:eSG5vbyiEHA.1712@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Hi
> Try to set the access points to different channels. I.e. they should not
> be
> on the same channel.
> Jack (MVP-Networking).
>
>
> "RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:u8SgCQwiEHA.2068@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>> Hi James,
>> Thanks for your response.
>> Yes, I am using PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 and I have "Enable Fast Reconnect."
> enabled
>> on both servers and laptops.
>> But.. I don't have "Validate server certificate." enabled on the
> laptops -
>> where does this come into the roaming issue if my users authenticate
>> correctly without it being enabled?
>>
>> I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are DC's with IAS configured. The 4
>> Access points are setup to use both of them
>> as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are set
>> with the same SSID but all different channels.
>> Is this the correct setup?
>>
>> RogerC
>>
>> "James McIllece [MS]" <jamesmci@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:Xns9550A59C6D12Ajamesmcionlinemicros@207.46.2 48.16...
>> > "RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in
>> > news:eVZq7apiEHA.1344@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl:
>> >
>> >> Hi,
>> >> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
>> >> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
>> >> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless
>> >> network with several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly
>> >> roam' between them?
>> >>
>> >> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
>> >> enabled and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate
>> >> correctly but will not roam when moving to another area.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks,
>> >> RogerC
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> > Hi Roger --
>> >
>> > You did not mention which authentication method you have deployed, but
>> > I
>> > am
>> > going to assume it is PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 since roaming is a feature of
>> > that
>> > auth method.
>> >
>> > To enable roaming, also called fast reconnect, in the IAS wireless
> remote
>> > access policy, go to the Properties for PEAP and click "Enable Fast
>> > Reconnect."
>> >
>> > On clients, in the Smart card or other certificate properties of a
>> > wireless
>> > network, select "Validate server certificate."
>> >
>> > --
>> > James McIllece, Microsoft
>> >
>> > Please do not send email directly to this alias. This is my online
>> > account
>> > name for newsgroup participation only.
>> >
>> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> > rights.
>>
>>
>
>

Re: Doesn't anyone Know anything about roaming?
 

Roger,

I assume you use WZC on the Windows XP clients (and not a third party WLAN
selection tool). Then the selection of the SSID is done by WZC, but the
selection of the AP is done by the WLAN driver. This is typically based on
signal strength but can involve more complicated conditions.

Check if you have the latest WLAN driver for your hardware. Also, did you
try to see what happens if you use different SSIDs?

Also, the other day I discovered that an Intel 2100 integrated WLAN did not
support channels 1 and 12-13 (the latter being only allowed in Europe). The
effect was that it added the AP to the list but could not authenticate
(channel 1), or even that it would detect that the AP was available (shown
as active in the preferred list) but not allowed me to select it. Can your
clients associate with each AP individually (i.e. when you reboot does it
select the AP in the room?)

"RogerC" <rojoch@NOSPAMtiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:eXsBIKwiEHA.396@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> Hi Bar,
> Thanks for your response.
> To clarify a few points....
> I did not say "2 APs per server" - I have 2 windows 2003 servers that are
> DC's with IAS configured. The 4 Access points are setup to use both of
> them as their primary and secondary RADIUS servers. The access points are
> set with the same SSID but all different channels.
> The clients and servers use PEAP-MS-CHAP v2 authentication with 'fast
> reconnect' enabled on the laptop and servers
> The building I am trying to cover is a long two storey office block with a
> large central staircase. I need an access point in each 'wing' to get
> sufficient coverage.
> A laptop user will successfully authenticate against the nearest access
> point but if he/she moves to another wing to say go for a meeting, even
> though there is an access point in the meeting room area the laptop will
> remain on the original access point even though the signal is too weak to
> be useable.
>
> RogerC
>
> "BAR" <BAR@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:E83086FC-8261-4EF5-93A7-3A1E0801F107@microsoft.com...
>> How large an area do you need to cover?
>> Roaming and random connections leaves you open to unauthorised access.
>> If you have all the access points set up the same then network adapters
>> in
>> the Laptops will not properly differentiate between the APs: except for
>> signal strength, so you'd need to set channels differently for each one.
>>
>> Many issues in doing what you have suggested, and why 2 APs per server?
>>
>> My basic recommendations follow this:
>>
>> OK you have a PC connected to the internet at home or the office and you
>> want other PCs to share the internet access. Hopefully you'll have Cable
>> or
>> DSL internet access.
>> What should one do?
>> First, make sure everything you buy conforms to the dominant wireless
>> standard known as 802.11b, or Wi-Fi (short for wireless fidelity). That
>> way
>> you can mix brands, operating systems, even network a Mac to a Windows PC
>> and
>> everything should still work together.
>> There are two new, faster versions of Wi-Fi: 802.11a and 802.11g. "A" is
>> for
>> business use; "g" is for the home. Both bump networking speeds up from 11
>> megabits per second to 54 mbps. But unless you're moving around big video
>> files or sharing other graphics-rich multimedia applications, "b" will be
>> more than sufficient. If you still want "g," wait until the standard has
>> been
>> officially ratified this summer.
>> The heart of your network will be a wireless access point and the
>> Internet
>> Access or preferably one device that does both called a router, acting as
>> Wireless Access Point and cable or DSL modem and Network Switch. The
>> two-in-one units, available from Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and others,
>> start
>> at about $100; with a few Ethernet ports and USB port too, so you can
>> connect
>> to PCs using a standard Ethernet cable or USB cable.
>> To establish a wireless connection between a desktop PC and the wireless
>> router, you need a USB or Ethernet Cable.
>> To connect a notebook PC, you'll need a wireless PC card. If new
>> notebooks
>> have Wi-Fi capabilities built in. Notebooks with Intel's new Centrino
>> chip,
>> for example, are Wi-Fi-enabled.
>> Note that 802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b - meaning a laptop
>> with a "g" card will talk to a "b" router, albeit at the slower speed -
>> but
>> 802.11a is not. If your office installs an 802.11a network, get a
>> dual-band
>> wireless PC card for your laptop so that it can connect both at home and
>> at
>> work.
>> Make sure that the software that comes with your gear will walk you
>> through
>> the installation. The steps will vary slightly, depending on each
>> computer's
>> operating system. The older the OS, the trickier it can be; Windows XP is
>> designed to detect and configure a PC card to talk to an existing
>> network.
>> Before you start, gather the following information:
>> . your broadband connection's IP address, e.g., 123.43.2.1
>> . subnet mask, e.g., 255.255.122.0
>> . default gateway e.g., 192.168.0.2
>> . DNS IP addresses e.g., 123.123.123.1
>> You can get these things from your Internet provider; your
>> customer-service
>> rep will know what you're talking about (or you can find this using the
>> Properties tab, under Network Connections). Each is just a series of
>> numbers
>> (e.g., 123.43.2.1) that you'll be prompted to plug in during setup. (If
>> your
>> provider supports a protocol called DHCP, your router should retrieve
>> these
>> settings automatically when you plug it in.)
>> You may also be asked to choose an SSID (service set identifier) I
>> recommend
>> that you do not accept the default setting as anyone nearby with a
>> wireless
>> device can also use your internet access. Set your SSID to a meaningful
>> name
>> use your Business Name. For work-group name use 'Wireless' and a
>> wireless
>> channel select from 1 - 11, I recommend you use a higher channel as
>> default
>> settings usually select the lower end. Keep these consistent for all of
>> your
>> machines.
>> Security
>> For additional security you can and should use Wired Equivalent Privacy
>> (WEP) algorithm: and set this at 64bit: you can then choose a combination
>> of
>> 10 hexadecimal characters [0-9 + A-F], again for this may I recommend you
>> select your mobile phone number as it is 10 characters long and not known
>> to
>> all your neighbours.
>> Additionally you can set the Access Point to only allow access to
>> specific
>> units, where you would enter their MAC address, again a series of Hex
>> numbers, usually found on the Wireless Card plugged into the Laptops or
>> other
>> desktop PCs.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "RogerC" wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>> Although I have put several posts on this and other newsgroups about
>>> wireless roaming I have never had any replies.
>>> Is there any documentation anywhere about setting up a wireless network
>>> with
>>> several access points to enable laptops to 'seamlessly roam' between
>>> them?
>>>
>>> I am using 2 win2003 servers with IAS, 4 access points with 802.1x
>>> enabled
>>> and win XP sp1 & sp2 clients. The clients authenticate correctly but
>>> will
>>> not roam when moving to another area.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> RogerC
>>>
>>>
>>>
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