The following tutorial explains how you can export and import Wlan profiles under Windows natively. A third party program is not required.

Please note that you need to run commands on Windows’ command prompt. Windows 7 users can check out the following alternative that is available in their operating system: How to Backup and Import Wireless Network Settings in Windows 7. Users running other versions of Windows can take a look at the third party tool Wireless Migrator.

Copy Wlan Profiles

Use the keyboard shortcut Windows-R to open the run box. Enter cmd and tap on the enter key to open the command prompt window. The first thing you may want to do is to display all Wlan profiles configured on the system. The command netsh wlan show profiles does that.

Locate the Wlan profile that you want to copy. You can identify them by their profile name, which should be identical to the Wlan’s SSID. Run the following command to export the Wlan profile on your system: netsh wlan export profile name=”SSID” folder=”c:\wlanbackup”. Note that the folder needs to exist prior to running the command; an error message is displayed otherwise.

You can now copy the saved Wlan profile to another computer system. Open a command prompt window on the device afterwards and run the following command to import the copied Wlan profile on the system: netsh wlan add profile filename=”e:\Wi-Fi-SSID.xml”. Replace SSID with the Wlan’s identifier and the drive letter and folder as well. Repeat the steps for all devices that you want to connect to the Wlan.

You can test if your wireless connection is having regular lags by opening the Windows command line (Windows-r, type cmd, hit enter) and use the ping command to ping a local or remote IP address (e.g. ping -t 192.168.1.1).

If you see time spikes you are affected by the issue.

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1355ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

The WLAN AutoConfig service is responsible for the scans which are executed even if the computer is already connected to a wireless network. Users have reported connection issues for up to five seconds during scans which is especially problematic for Internet gamers and users who use streaming media services.

It is not possible to disable the WLAN AutoConfig service right away, as it is needed to establish the connection.

The free software program WLAN Optimizer resolves the issue by disabling background scans once a wireless connection has been made.

The portable program displays all options in two tabs in its interface. The status tab displays a pulldown wireless network adapter selection menu and the status of the tweaks the program offers.

The settings tab displays options to enable background scan and streaming mode. It is not recommended to disable autoconfig in the menu, but the option is available.

WLAN Optimizer is however not the only software that disables wireless background scans. The free tool VBGScan is also capable of disabling the scans. It has been developed for Vista, and it is not clear if it works under Windows 7 as well.

Just use the basic interface to configure the software. It offers the same features as WLAN Optimizer. (via)

Wireless networks have disadvantages as well, especially so if they are not well protected. Anyone in reach of the signal can theoretically try and “get in”. That’s obviously simple if the Wlan is not protected at all. Protected Wlans on the other hand can be attacked as well.

Lets say you operate a Wlan in your house, apartment or local shop. You may want to know if anyone else is currently using your Wlan besides you and other authorized users. But how do you do that?

That’s where Wireless Network Watcher comes into play. The free portable software for the Windows operating system displays all devices and computers that are currently connected to a computer network.

Each device is listed with its IP address and name if available. The listing also includes the MAC address of each device, the network adapter company and if available other device information.

The program works under all NT based Windows operating systems, starting with Windows 2000 all the way up to Windows 7. The computer you are running the software on needs to be connected to the same wireless network to scan for other connected devices. You can switch network adapters easily with the F9 key, which can be handy if the wrong adapter gets picked automatically, or if you have more than one installed on the computer.

The data can be exported into HTML, XML, CSV or plain text files, and also copied to the clipboard and pasted into a spreadsheet application.

Wireless Network Watcher is a handy application for Windows users who want to check up on their network from time to time to make sure that no one in the neighborhood is logging into your network.

Most WLANs use the same default channel when they ship from factory. This is most of the time channel 11 and sometimes channel 6. Most users keep those default channels which can lead to the mentioned WLAN problems if your neighbors use that same channel.

I would therefor change that default channel if you are experiencing difficulties like disconnects in your WLAN. The default channel needs to be changed in the WLAN router only, the computer will automatically pick the signal up without modification. I’m going to show you how a change would look in my WLAN router.

My U.S. Robotics Wireless MAXg router can be accessed locally with the IP 192.168.2.1. You need to consult the manual of the router to find out how you can access the router interface. The main interface loads after supplying the username and password.

The Wireless tab at the top lets the user change the wireless settings. I had to click on advanced settings to change the default channel from 11 to 3. You should try to raise or reduce the channel by 3-5 steps if possible. This can be an impossible task if you have dozens of WLANs in your neighborhood; My advise would be to start with the low channel numbers and work your way up until you find a channel that works nicely.

The file javax.comm.properties has to be moved from the Wlandscape directory into the lib directory of the JRE installation of your computer. This can be found in the Program Files folder normally. After copying this library the run.bat file has to be edited to point to the correct installation of the Java Runtime Environment on your computer.

Finally Wlandscape can be started by double-clicking on the run.bat file. The best approach would be to search for Wlans by address. You can enter city, zip and street information and let Wlandscape search for hits. If more than one possibility is found it will ask the user to pick one result of the list.

What I like is that Wlandscape supports automated tracking by GPS and that Netstumbler information can be imported as well.

While it does not seem to be that bad that someone else would use your wireless internet connection for surfing the web it becomes a very important matter if this is abused. Someone could download warez, pornography, commit fraud, send thousands of emails or share software in p2p networks. You will be held responsible for abuse that is done with your connection.

You need to know the basic information about your wireless router before you can begin to protect it.

• Who is the manufacturer
• What is the name of the wireless router

Visit the manufacturers website and search for updates for your router. Updates are normally in the form of firmware updates which update the internal functions to a new version which could result in additional features and security. Please consult the website for instructions on how to update the firmware of your router.

Make sure you update it using a wired connection because wireless connection tend to become unstable in the wrong moments. (Murphy’s law)

It is now time to protect the router further. Connect to the interface which is normally done by opening the IP of the router. (default 192.168.1.1 most of the time) Enter username and password and change them when your are logged in. Many routers get hacked because the user did not change the default login data that ships with the routers. Everyone can look them up and it is really easy to access the router even though everything else might have been optimized for security.

Now it is time to configure the security settings of the w-lan router. Add a service set identifier (SSID), it does not really matter how you name it, just remember the name. Make sure you disable the SSID broadcasting afterwards, this ensure that your wireless router does not show the SSID and it is a little bit more difficulty to find it out.

I know that this is a weak security tip but it could mean that this in addition with other security measures poses a problem for so called script kiddies.

Enable the strongest encryption method available, this is normally WPA2 with AES. If you have an older router or a device that does not support WPA2 you should think of buying a new router or updating the devices. Make sure you use a large string with numbers and letters. A good value would be between 20 and 30 chars for the key, make sure you remember it because you need to supply the key to the other devices that have to connect to the router.

Enable Mac filtering, look up your mac address by using the command line in Windows XP and typing ipconfig /all. The physical address is your mac address. This ensures that only computers with a Mac address that is listed in the router can connect to it. Please note that the Mac address can be faked.

If you do not need the full transmitter power because your router and computer are physically close to each other you could reduce the transmitter power to reduce the chance that someone from outside your walls will be able to find the router and connect to it. Please be aware that a good antenna on the device that wants to connect to your router is able to counter this strategy.

Here is a list of other ideas that are worth investigating.

• Disable all services that you do not need.
• It is a very good idea to power off the router when you do not need it to prevent anyone from connecting to it while you are away. Alternatively turn off the wireless function of the router.
• If you have the means monitor the traffic of your wireless connection to find out if someone else uses it as well.
• Enable the firewall of the router and configure it properly
• If the router has a logging feature enable it and analyze it regularly.
• Limit the maximum number of DHCP addresses if you use that feature.
• Use Authentication if possible.