If you are viewing this web page while wirelessly connected to the local CHOICE network, read no further your wireless LAN card is configured correctly.

Bottom Line

  1. SSID should be blank
  2. WEP should be disabled

1. Background

 Most wireless LAN cards must be set to the Service Set Identifier (or SSID) of the network that they want to be a part of. Wireless LAN cards with SSID that is different from the network's SSID will not be able to communicate with other devices on the network. This is intended to be a security feature of wireless LANs.

Network adminstrators have the flexibility to configure the access points (APs) of their wireless network to periodically broadcast the network's SSID. This SSID can then be picked up by the wireless LAN card if it is not already configured to use a pre-specified SSID. In this case wireless LAN card configuration is automatic and no additional steps are needed.

Sometimes SSIDs are not broadcast by the APs and/or the wireless LAN card is preconfigured to use a certain SSID as mandated by the IT departments of large corporations. If you walk into the Choice Network with a IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN card pre-configured to look for a particular SSID, which is different from the Choice Network's SSID, chances are that you will not be able to connect to the network. To connect you will have to either remove the pre-configured SSID and leave the feild blank so that the wireless LAN card picks up the broadcast SSID or you will have to explicitly configure the SSID of the Choice Network into your network card.

The SSID for the Choice Network is ChoiceNet. We suggest that you explicitly configure your wireless LAN card to use this SSID since older firmware may not pick up the broadcast SSID.

2. When to configure

You need to configure the SSID to ChoiceNet only when you are within range of a Choice Network and if you want to connect to it. For example, if you are in a Shopping Mall that offers Internet connectivity via the Choice Network, you should configure the SSID first, then download and install the PANS client software, and then login to the network using Passport.

3. How to configure

If you are using a Cisco/Aironet wireless network card and if have the Cisco/Aironet WinDGS utility do the following:

  1. Invoke WinDGS.
  2. Go to "Commands" and choose "Edit Properties".
  3. In one of the SSID boxes enter ChoiceNet.
  4. Choose OK and then Exit out of WinDGS.
If you do not have the WinDGS utility or if you are using a different (e.g. Lucent's) 802.11b card then do the following:
  1. On the desktop, right-click the My Network Places icon and choose Properties.
  2. Right-click on the relevant local area wireless network connection for example, "Cisco/Aironet PC4800 DS Wireless PCMCIA LAN adapter" and choose Properties, then Advanced and then SSID.
  3. In the Value box, type in ChoiceNet.
  4. Click OK and then Ok once more.
    5. .
Note: In case you already have a list of SSIDs configured, possibly for your corporate and/or your home connection, simply add "ChoiceNet" as another SSID that your wireless NIC should listen for.

Snapshot of the WinDGS utility Snapshot of Properties Windows
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