36

WIRELESS NETWORKING

With the rapid growth of wireless networking has come evolving standards. The 802.11 series of standards was created by the networking industry to ensure hardware and software interoperability among wireless networking vendors. The current state-of-the-art standards 802.11n and 802.11ac are important steps forward for wireless performance and reliability, and we’re sure that network industry gurus are hard at work at whatever’s coming next.

And while people have been using cellular telephone networks to get data service for mobile devices for some time, the software for making and managing these connections was vendor specific and could be cumbersome to use. Today (thanks largely to Apple’s iPhones and iPads), consumers have come to expect seamless, effortless, and ubiquitous data service, so Microsoft has integrated cellular data into the built-in, native networking stack in Windows 10. If you use cellular (for example, 3G, 4G, or LTE) data service on your Windows 10 device, you’ll be able to manage it using the same control panels we describe in this chapter. Configuration might still be vendor specific, but your vendor will help with this, and it’s not something you’ll have to do on a day-to-day basis.

Before we get going, we have a housekeeping item to mention. Throughout this chapter we give this instruction for getting to the networking settings panel: “Click the network icon in the taskbar, and then select Network & Internet Settings, Status.” On small screens, or if you’ve made the Settings window narrow, you’ll need to touch or click the word Status to see the settings discussed. In most cases, though, Windows will show you the Status page automatically, so you won’t actually need to click Status (no harm if you do, though). We want the instructions to work for everyone, so we include the step of clicking Status. On mobile phones, where there is no taskbar, you get to Network & Internet Settings from the main Settings screen.

To indicate that your Internet connection is metered, connect to the Internet solely through the metered connection. (So, for example, if you have both cellular and Wi-Fi service at present, turn off Wi-Fi for a moment using the Action Center.) Then click the Network icon in the taskbar and select Network & Internet Settings, Change Connection Properties. Scroll down to Metered Connection, and turn Set As Metered Connection On.

If you connect to your metered service through Wi-Fi (for example, if your home Wi-Fi network is connected to a satellite service), do this while connected through Wi-Fi. Or change the specific Wi-Fi connection setting to Metered as discussed near the end of this chapter under “Changing and Deleting Wireless Settings.”

When you have a metered connection, Windows will track your data usage, though you must manually reset the counters if you want to zero the usage statistics at the beginning of each billing cycle. To view or reset the usage info, click the Network icon in the taskbar, select Network & Internet Settings, and then select Data Usage in the left column. Click View Usage Details to see how much data each app has transferred, and click Reset Usage Stats to zero the counters.

The first part of this chapter shows you how to use infrastructure networks that have already been set up. Later in the chapter, we also briefly discuss the Mobile Hotspot feature that you can use to share an Internet connection and to create a private ad hoc network for quick file sharing between a group of computers at, for example, a meeting.

To prevent random, unknown people from seeing your shared resources, the Network Location feature keeps track of the identities of various networks to which you attach, and it lets you designate whether each one is safe for file sharing. There are actually three location “types”: Public network, Private network, and Domain (corporate) network. In more detail, the standard types are as follows:

Public network—A network where other computers and users can’t be trusted. The Public network location should be selected for any network link that is directly connected to the Internet without an intervening router or hardware firewall; a network in a cafe, airport, university, or other public location; or a home or office that you are visiting. When you designate a network as a Public network, Windows file and printer sharing is blocked to protect your computer.

Private network—A network at home or work that is trusted to be secure. Either it has no Internet connection, or its Internet connection is protected by an external firewall or a connection-sharing router. Also, you trust all the users and the other computers on the network to access files and printers shared by your computer. Examples of Private networks are home and business networks managed by you or someone you trust.

Domain network—A network that is managed by one or more computers running a Windows Server OS. This is a trusted network, and the security of the network and its member computers is managed by network administrators.

The first time you connect to a given network, Windows should prompt you to select the appropriate network location. Windows can take up to a couple of minutes to prompt you after you’ve connected to a new network for the first time. For whatever reason, you can’t hurry the process along. During this time, it will treat the network as a public network, and file sharing will be disabled. Wait a minute or so for Windows to prompt you.

You can view the current setting through the Network and Sharing Center. On Domain networks, this location is not changeable, but it can be changed for the other types of networks.

If you need to change a network’s location type, click or touch the Network icon in the taskbar, select Network & Internet Settings, and then select Change Connection Properties.

After connecting, you can change these default settings, but you really should not enable file and printer sharing when you’re connected to a network that might contain computers that are unknown to you or are not under your control.

Wi-Fi Sense can connect you to two categories of Wi-Fi networks:

Open (passwordless, unsecured) networks to which other Windows users’ computers have successfully connected. When you connect to an unsecured network, Windows sends the network name and location to Microsoft, which can then pass this information along to other users via Wi-Fi Sense.

Networks run by organizations that have made arrangements with Microsoft to provide public access.

(In the original release of Windows 10, you could also choose to let Microsoft automatically connect your Skype and phone book contacts to secured Wi-Fi networks whose password you knew, but this disturbing aspect of Wi-Fi Sense was removed in the summer of 2016.)

Wi-Fi Sense works only if your device has Locations Services turned on, so it can tell where you are. Automatic connection to networks shared by contacts is available only if you are signed in using a Microsoft (online) account.

Windows 10 also supports HotSpot 2.0, which is a networking protocol that makes it possible to automatically connect to and transition between some Wi-Fi hot spots as you travel, after just one sign-on, without always having to reselect and log on to the networks every time you come in range to a different network router.

To enable these Wi-Fi functions, follow these steps:

1. Click or touch the network icon in the taskbar and select Network & Internet Settings. Then, in the left column, select Wi-Fi and, if necessary, scroll down to Wi-Fi Services.

2. To connect automatically to free or public networks that Microsoft knows about, turn on the switch under Connect to Suggested Open Hotspots.

3. To be notified about available fee-based Wi-Fi networks, turn on the switch under Find Paid Plans for Suggested Open Hotspots Near Me. This might be useful when you’re traveling.

4. To be notified about available Hotspot 2.0 networks, turn on the switch under Let Me Use Online Sign-Up to Get Connected.

5. Be sure that Location services are turned on. To do this, open the Action Center (click the icon in the far-right end of the taskbar or press Windows Logo +A), and be sure that the Location button is enabled.

Now your computer will be able to connect to public and shared Wi-Fi networks as you travel around.

The basic steps are the same in each case:

1. Click the network icon at the right end of the taskbar.

2. The Networks panel opens, as shown in Figure 36.1. Windows displays a list of the names (SSIDs) of the wireless networks that it “hears.” Networks that require a passphrase or key are labeled Secured. Your current network, if any, is marked Connected.

Figure 36.1
Open the Networks panel, and then select the wireless network you want to use.

Click or touch a network name. If you want to use this network whenever you’re in its range, check Connect Automatically. If you are connecting to the network only temporarily, and you’re in range of another network that you would normally prefer to use, uncheck Connect Automatically. Then select Connect.

3. Windows determines what type of security the network is using. If the network is encrypted, it prompts you to enter the network key. Enter the passphrase or the 10- or 26-digit hexadecimal key that was used when the network was set up. The network’s owner will have to tell you what this is. A passphrase is case-sensitive. A WEP hexadecimal key consists of the digits 0 through 9 and the letters A through F and is exactly 10 or exactly 26 characters long. This type of key is not case sensitive.

If you are signed in using a Microsoft [online] account, and you have previously connected to this wireless network using a different computer or device, you might not need to enter the password; the network information is part of your user profile and is synced from device to device, unless you disabled this in your account’s privacy settings.

4. When you have connected to a new network for the first time, after some 10 to 30 seconds Windows should ask whether the network is public or private. It is very important that you make the right selection, so we discuss this setting in detail in the following sections.

Windows will save the password you enter, so the next time you return to this location, you can reconnect without having to re-enter it. You can change other connections as described later in this chapter under “Managing Wireless Network Connections.”

The following sections tell you how to proceed to protect your privacy, depending on the type of network you’ve chosen: corporate, your home/small office, someone else’s home or office, or a public place.

Within a minute of connecting for the first time, Windows should ask you if the network is public or private. If the network is under your control, and you trust the other users and computers on the network, you can select Private. This enables file and printer sharing over the network. If the network is a place where you can’t trust every other computer and user, select Private. If in doubt, click Private. You can always change the settings later.

Make the connection as described in the previous section, but be sure you’re not inadvertently making the contents of your computer available to other people on the network. Follow these precautionary steps:

1. When you make the connection, if you’re asked if the network is public or private, select Private, and you’re finished.

2. If you aren’t prompted shortly after you make the connection, click or touch the Network icon in the taskbar, select Network & Internet Settings, and check in the diagram at the top of the Status page to see whether the connection is labeled Private or Public. If it says Private, select Change Connection Properties, Public.

Even with the location set to Public, you can still use network resources shared by others on the network. They just won’t be able to get into your computer.

If for some reason you do want to temporarily let someone there use files or printers shared by your computer, here’s the safest way to do it:

1. Click or touch the Network icon in the taskbar, select Network & Internet Settings, Change Connection Properties, Private. Then click the Back arrow at the upper-left corner of the page.

2. In the left column, select Status. Then scroll down and select Sharing Options. Scroll down, open the All Networks section, and be sure that Turn On Password Protected Sharing is selected, as shown in Figure 36.2. Click Save Changes.

Figure 36.2
To safely share files on your computer with just one individual, use the Password Protected Sharing option.

3. Create a user account just for the person who needs access to your computer (see Chapter 3), and create a password for it.

4. Right-click a folder you want the other user to access, select Give Access To, and then click Specific People to open the File Sharing dialog box. Enter the account name, click Add, and then Share.

You can later remove the user account or change its password.

One path for attack at a public hot spot is through files that client computers accidentally share. When you connect, follow these steps:

1. When you make the connection, if you’re asked whether the connection is public or private, select public.

2. If you aren’t prompted within a minute after you connect, click or touch the Network icon in the taskbar, select Network & Internet Settings, and make sure that the network is labeled Private under the diagram at the top of the window. If it says Private, select Change Connection Properties, and select Public.

On open unsecured public hotspots, it’s possible for eavesdroppers to listen in on other people’s wireless traffic. Even if the network is secured with encryption, it’s possible for eavesdroppers to listen to traffic if they can break the encryption scheme. It can take them mere seconds to break WEP encryption, for example.

Therefore, at a public location, you should be very careful when you use websites that display sensitive information or that require you to enter a password. If the URL of the website starts with https:, your data will be protected. If the URL starts with just http:, think twice about signing in.

To create a Wi-Fi network so that other users can connect through your device to the Internet, and, if desired, share files and printers, follow these steps:

1. Connect to the Internet with your own device (unless your only objective is file and printer sharing).

2. Click the network icon in the taskbar and select Network & Internet Settings. Alternatively, click Start, Settings (gear icon), Network & Internet. Then, in the left column, select Mobile Hotspot.

3. The screen will show the Wi-Fi network name and password that other devices will use to connect to your computer. By default, the network name will be the name of your computer plus some digits, and the password will be a string of random characters. To change the name or password to something easier to remember (but not easy to guess), click Edit. Make the changes, and then click Save. Make a note of the network name and password. You’ll need to provide this to other users.

4. If your computer has multiple network adapters, set Share My Internet Connection From to the name of the network that leads to the Internet. (If your goal is only to set up a secure network for file sharing, and you don’t care about Internet sharing, you can leave this setting alone.)

5. If you have Windows Mobile (phone) devices that have Bluetooth, and you’d like them to be able to turn the Mobile Hotspot feature on and off remotely, set Turn On Remotely on.

6. At the top of the page, set Mobile Hotspot to on. After a few seconds, other devices should be able to connect. You can see which devices are connected on this settings page.

To connect to your Mobile Hotspot, users of other devices (whether Windows or not) should open their Wi-Fi settings menu, select the network name that you noted in step 2, and enter the password you gave them. If they are running Windows and want to use file or printer sharing on the Wi-Fi connection, when Windows prompts them to select a network type, they should select Private (or Home Network, for earlier versions of Windows).

set-netconnectionprofile -interfaceindex ## -networkcategory private

If your device has cellular or satellite Internet service with a download limit, be sure that it’s set up as a metered connection. Be sure that other Windows 10 devices that are now connected to your computer also treat their Internet link as metered, so that they don’t, for example, try to download a large Windows Update. And, ask the other users to be careful with their Internet usage.

To set a network connection as metered on any Windows 10 device, click the network icon in the taskbar, select Network & Internet Setting (or, go through the main Settings page to get there), select Change Connection Properties, scroll down to Metered Connection, and set the switch to On.

When the other devices no longer need your Internet service, it’s best to turn the feature off. Repeat step 1 in the preceding procedure, and turn Mobile Hotspot off. Even quicker, click the Action Center icon in the taskbar or press Windows Logo+A, and use the Mobile Hotspot pushbutton.

When Windows is not currently connected to any wireless network, it scans through its list of known networks, in order. If any are in range, and you have enabled automatic connection, Windows selects the one it thinks you’re most likely to want to use and then connects.

In most cases, this system works without adjustments, but there are ways to change the preferences if necessary, as we discuss in the next few sections.

To delete the record of a previously used Wi-Fi network from your computer, click the Network icon in the taskbar and select Network & Internet Settings. In the left column, select Wi-Fi and then select Manage Known Networks. Click on the name of the network you wish to remove, and select Forget.

You can also use the preceding steps to change the Metered setting for a known connection.

You might notice that Manage Known Networks lists known networks in order of preference, but there is no simple way to change the order of preference from here. You must indicate your preference using the steps in the next section.

If you are in an area where your computer can receive signals from two or more known networks—that is, networks to which you’ve previously connected—at the same time, you might want to tell Windows which one to use in preference to the others. One might have faster download speeds. Or you might want to connect to your neighbor’s network when yours is out of reach, but if both are available, you want to use yours.

How does Windows know which to use? In Windows 7 and earlier versions, you could sort the list of known networks into your own preferred order. Windows would use whatever available network was topmost in the list.

Windows 10 doesn’t let you manually sort the list of networks, but it does let you switch between available networks, and it keeps track of which network you end up actually using, if more than one is available. To train Windows, you must manually switch networks, using these steps:

1. View the list of available networks by clicking the network icon in the taskbar.

If you are currently connected to a network, it will be labeled Connected.

2. If you want to connect to a different network, click or touch its name and then select Connect.

Windows should remember your preference for this connection over the other one for future connections.

You can also give hints to Windows by changing a network’s connection properties. You can put each network into one of three priority categories. To set these categories, click the taskbar’s Network icon, and select Network & Internet Settings, Change Adapter Options. Right-click the wireless adapter, and then select Status, Wireless Properties. Designate how you want Windows to treat the network. Here’s the list of options (see Figure 36.3):

Figure 36.3
In the wireless network’s Properties dialog box, use the Connection tab to specify how you want Windows to treat the wireless network.

This is a top-choice network. I’m happy to use this one anytime. Stick with this network until the signal is lost. Check Connect Automatically When This Network Is in Range, and uncheck Look for Other Wireless Networks While Connected to This Network.

This is a backup network. Use it if necessary, but if a top-choice network becomes available, switch over to the better one—check Connect Automatically, and then also check Look for Other Wireless Networks.

This is a special-purpose network or a last resort. Connect to it only when I tell you to—uncheck Connect Automatically.

This approach doesn’t really make them secure, just difficult for you to connect to. A network that does not broadcast its network name (SSID) usually will not appear in the list of available networks (although it might if Windows overhears network traffic that includes the name). To connect to such a hidden network, you must enter its connection information manually. Follow these steps:

1. Click the network icon at the right end of the taskbar; then select Network & Internet Settings.

2. In the left column, select Wi-Fi, and then select Manage Known Networks, Add a New Network.

3. Enter the network’s name (SSID), set the security type, and enter the key if required.

4. Check Connect Even If This Network Is Not Broadcasting. You should not check Start This Connection Automatically. If you do, your computer will frequently broadcast the name of the network it’s looking for, advertising its name to everyone nearby.

5. Click Save, and then click Close to save the new profile.

To later connect to a network with a hidden SSID when you’re in range, open the list of available networks, click the name of the network, and click Connect. Be aware that this network name will always appear in the list of available networks, even when it’s not in range.