Vista Configuration for 802.11b/g Wireless Networking at the UW
IT Connect > Connecting > Wireless > Configuring > Windows Vista Configuration
- On This Page
- Configuring Your Computer
- Switching to the UW Wireless Network
- Switching to Another Network
Configuring Your Computer
To configure your computer running Windows Vista with a 802.11b/g wireless adapter to attach to the UW network:
- StepsActions
- Verify that the wireless adapter switch, if exists in your computer, is set to "ON" .
- In absence of a built-in wireless adapter, insert a wireless card into the PCMCIA slot of your computer. In this example, the ORiNOCO/WAVELAN PC(MCIA) card is used.
- From the Start menu (usually bottom left of the
screen) select Control Panel, and then open the Network
and Sharing Center window.
- If there is no red X through the connection and the status says "connected to the University of Washington," your computer has automatically connected to the wireless network and you should verify that the Web browser can access Web pages on the Internet. If the test is successful, no further action or configuration of wireless connectivity is required.
- If there is a red X, click the link "Connect to a
network".
- Now the configuration window should display detected
wireless access points similar to the picture
below:
- Select "University Of Washington" - Unsecured network, and click "Connect".
- If the connection is successful, you will see the
statement similar to the one shown on the picture below.
Click "Close" to view the final confirmation.
- The network and Sharing Center view will now display
a normal connectivity to the Internet as shown on the
picture below.
- Normally you will be prompted for personal
credentials (UW NetID and password) upon your first
attempt to connect to a Web page that is located outside
the UW network.
The registration is valid for 8 hours. In order to avoid logging in every day, the UW has enabled a Long-Term Wireless Registration.
To register your computer's wireless adapter, see Automatic Registration.
If something doesn't work right, you can try manual process here: Register.
If later, for some reason you need to cancel your UW long-term wireless registration, you can do it here: Unregister
Switching to the UW Wireless Network
To switch to the UW Wireless network after using other network connections (e.g., dial-in or wired Ethernet):
- StepsActions
- Be sure the Ethernet cable is not connected.
- Windows Vista will automatically detect any UW wireless access points nearby and will prompt for your decision to connect.
Switching to Another Network
To switch to another network (e.g., dial-in or wired Ethernet) after using the UW Wireless network:
- StepsActions
- For best results, start with the computer turned off, the wireless adapter switch turned off or 802.11b/g PC(MCIA) card not installed in the slot, and no Ethernet cable connected.
- If using Ethernet, insert the Ethernet cable to the appropriate receptacle in the computer and in the "active" wall jack. Or if using dial-up, insert the phone cable into the appropriate receptacle in the computer and the "active" phone wall jack.
- Start your computer. It should automatically start using an Ethernet connection, or allow you to run dial-in networking to make a dial-in connection.
HINT: If you have trouble using the network (e.g., browsers won't open Web pages) then select Start->Run and at the command line enter:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
To get help or make comments about the information on this page, you can Send a Question to UW Information Technology.
