Unexpected 'other network' in wireless connections list in W7
I have 2 desktop PCs, one running XP and one W7. Both are connected to Ethernet ports on the same router (a UK BT Homehub 2), and both have wireless options (although these are normally off). I also have a W7 netbook which I have connected wirelessly to the router. The discrepancy is that I have configured the router to not broadcast its SSID. On the XP machine there is no sign of it as expected its hidden. But on the W7 desktop it appears to be showing as 'other network' in my wireless list. If I click it, it prompts for the SSID etc. If I set the router to broadcast then the network appears on XP and the 'other network' changes to the correct network name on W7. Is this correct for W7? I assumed the point of SSID hiding is not to show anything in the list of other wireless networked PCs, and for my XP box this appears to be the case. Not so for my W7 PC. What have I set up wrong? or is this how W7 should behave? Thanks
May 11th, 2010 10:02pm

I don't think there is any wrong. I get the same type of indications on my laptop with wireless on.
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May 11th, 2010 10:52pm

OK, thanks. I've set it up to manually connect, not auto, as I understand there are "issues" with non broadcast networks and it apparently does not add to security a great deal if at all. Is that correct? But I thought I'd like to try it. I was mainly curious as to why XP does hide it from the list and W7 appeared not to, and thought I may have mis-configured something in the router.
May 11th, 2010 11:09pm

I am not aware of any issues with non-broadcasting networks. I have both my laptops set to auto connect to my wireless with a non-broadcasting SSID.
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May 11th, 2010 11:37pm

George_222, actually, I'd consider this a feature. Let me explain. Let's say you live next door to a neighbor who has their wireless router on the wall of their home closest to where you'd like to sit with your wireless laptop, and in fact is closer to your laptop than your own router. Now lets say they happen to have landed on the same channel. Without seeing the network's existence, you'd have no clue why your normally blazing connection might be running slower than expected, and as you might guess, is due to collisions. That particular channel is EVERYONE's channel within "earshot". Now the nice thing is, it's showing you the presence, but not the SSID, so there is no enormous security hole unless of course your SSID is super-predictable. I run non-broadcast with a suitably odd SSID, and my PSK is long and complex enough that if somebody wanted in bad enough they would have monitored enough traffic to crack the SSID first, the PSK second, but then they'd get stuck (hopefully) on my last, most concrete line of defense, MAC address filtering. If they want to monitor enough to grab my MACs from the machines, well, I guess that's a risk I have to take. Sure would take a determined person (term used loosely) to get past it all, but it IS possible. DAS
May 12th, 2010 4:11am

'Rick Dee' and 'Win7tester', thanks for you comments. I was just concerned that as it was hidden in XP and not in W7 that I'd set something up wrong, it appears I haven't. I believe I have set MAC filtering up as well (three devices at most on my nework, the router is set to only use 3 IP addreses, and the MACs of the devices are allocated one IP address each in the DHCP table - hopefully thats it :-) ). I can't find it now, but yesterday I stumbled across a Vista document from MS that gave reasons as to why MS recommend not hiding the SSID. Didnt 100% follow it I think. Thanks
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May 12th, 2010 11:18am

Unless I missed something, limiting the number of addresses from DHCP is different that what I'm talking about (MAC filtering). With bonafide filtering you have to get the physical MAC address address from each machine you choose to allow access: With limited addresses, if one of the currently operating machines is turned off or the radio is disabled, there is still an address available so far as DHCP is concerned an will hand out an address to any machine that can get past the first stages of security. (SSID and PSK if you use it). Run ---> CMD ---IPconfig /all on each machine, copy down the wireless MAC addresses and add them to the MAC filtering table in your wireless router. In this way, only the specific devices you allow can get access, the only other way in is for someone (criminal) to dechipher one or more of the MAC addresses (no easy job) for machines you've allowed, and hope to get in posing as one of those machines. Hope this helps. DAS
May 14th, 2010 8:58pm

Win7Tester, Thanks. I think thats what Ive done (hopefully) but Im using a new BT Homehub2 (UK) and couldn't find MAC filtering as such. So Ive limited the number of IP addresses the router can hand out to only 3, and in the advanced setting - home network - DHCP table, you match the MAC address to one of the three available IP addresses. I assume that means that another MAC address could not be allocated an IP - maybe not? I'll read up on the router to be sure. Its a new one to me having just changed from a different/older router. Thanks for the assistance/comments anyway.
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May 16th, 2010 6:06pm

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