How to find my wireless internet settings?

OldGrantonian · Jan 29, 2009

In WinXP Home, I could examine the details of my BT Broadband internet connection (single user with USB connection) as follows:

Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections tab

Select a connection from the list. Click "Settings"

I then typed all the settings in a text file. So if I lost a connection, I could manually enter all the settings without needing to insert the BT installation CD.

I changed to Vista at the same time that I changed to Orange Broadband (4-user wireless). The connection was set up by CD from one laptop. The other laptop just connected itself by magic, using a LAN cable.

Can anyone tell me how to find the settings?
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SuperXero · Jan 29, 2009

Start---Network---Network and Sharing Center--Manage Wireless networks is on the right

Is this what you're looking for?

SuperXero

OldGrantonian · Jan 30, 2009

SuperXero said:
Start---Network---Network and Sharing Center--Manage Wireless networks is on the right

Thanks for your response

I followed your directions. The list of networks has a single entry - for Orange.

I right-click to get Properties. The "Connection" tab only has check marks, so I can record these.

The "Security" tab has three fields. Two of these are in clear text, so I can record them.

The "Network security key" is encrypted.

Question 1: How do I find the value of the network security key?

Question 2: Where can I see the user name and password (probably encrypted) that I typed in during the CD installation process?

Thanks.
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SuperXero · Jan 31, 2009

The network security key can be found with a program called wireless key view from Nirsoft. You can Google it.

As far as the admin login for the router, I don't think you can get that without resting the router to factory defaults using the reset key.

SuperXero
HackingManual.Net

OldGrantonian · Jan 31, 2009

SuperXero said:
The network security key can be found with a program called wireless key view from Nirsoft. You can Google it.

As far as the admin login for the router, I don't think you can get that without resting the router to factory defaults using the reset key.

Thanks for the response

I must apologize if my post gives the impression that I'm trying to hack something

My Orange internet connection was set up from the CD, using Orange's choice for "username" and my choice for "password". Both of these are in a letter, and I know what they are.

I just want to see where all the other settings are, so that I can write down the values for other text fields, check boxes, radio buttons, drop-down menus, etc, etc.

Reason: If my settings become deleted or corrupted, I want to be able to set up the connection using the values that I write down. Then I would feel like a geek, rather than using a CD from some crooks such as Orange

Question 1: Was the Network Security Key entered by the CD. Or is it a fixed value for my specific hardware? .

Question 2: As you recommended, I used WirelessKeyView to display my Network Security Key. Thanks for the tip.

WirelessKeyView displayted a "hex" value, which is a 26-digit value that contains digits 0 through 9. The "ASCII" value is a 12-digit value that contains hex digits 0 through F. If I use the Windows calculator, the 12-digit value does not convert to the 26-digit value, using Decimal, Octal, or Binary. If I ever need to re-enter this value, do I enter the hex or the ASCII value?
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Barman58 · Jan 31, 2009

Hi OldGrantonian

WirelessKeyView should also display the key in plain text (on the right of the window),
as for the router settings if you right click on the icon in network and sharing centre you should see an option to open the device web page. if it is Orange policy to password protect this and not supply this to you then apart from contacting orange ther is not a lot you can do (I assume that Orange supplied the router). if there is not a password on the router you should be able to save a backup from within the router software which may be used to reinstall if required

SuperXero · Feb 1, 2009

I found this in the software section of this forum. It's Free, Although I haven't tried it.

Wireless Migrator - Wireless Migrator - HomeHandy small program, that knows to backup and restore all wireless networks setting from your computer. For some reason, there is no way to do it by using regular Windows Vista tools.
This feature is extremely useful, when you have to reinstall your computer or use the same settings of wireless networks for different machines.

Home4thewinters · Feb 1, 2009

I have found that the best way to gather the proper wireless connection configurations is the go directly to the web based page of the router. From the web based page you can make any configuration changes you want. You can get the web based IP address by typing "ipconfig /all" (without quotes, and a space beteen the g and /), in your command prompt.

OldGrantonian · Feb 1, 2009

Thanks for all the responses

barman58 said:
as for the router settings if you right click on the icon in network and sharing centre you should see an option to open the device web page. if it is Orange policy to password protect this

I tried the web page option. You're right - it's password protected. So I'll contact Orange.

SuperXero said:
Wireless Migrator - Wireless Migrator - HomeHandy small program, that knows to backup and restore all wireless networks setting from your computer.

I looked at the developer's blog:

Backup and restore your wireless networks settings by using WirelessMigrator | Tamir Khason - Just code

Based on the user comments, it seems to be very buggy just now. However, the tool is based on the following "netsh" commands, which are easy to use. Profiles are stored in XML files.

--------------------------------------
“netsh wlan show profiles” will show you all wireless network profiles in your system

”netsh wlan export profile name=”name” folder=”folder”” will export each profile to xml file (you can also run netsh wlan export profile” to export them all as bunch

”netsh wlan add profile filename=”name”” will restore each one of profiles and returns them into the system
--------------------------------------

So, if my connection ever becomes corrupted, I'll restore the XML file. If that doesn't work, then I have the CD

Home4thewinters said:
go directly to the web based page of the router. From the web based page you can make any configuration changes you want. You can get the web based IP address by typing "ipconfig /all" (without quotes, and a space beteen the g and /), in your command prompt.

Same reply as for barman58. I'll contact Orange for the password.

BTW: It seems to me that the developers of Wireless Migrator and WirelessKeyView cannot agree on the value of SSID.

I mentioned in a previous post that WirelessKeyView gives a 26-digit hex value, and a 12-digit ASCII value. These values do not convert to each other.

Wireless Migrator gives a 24-digit hex value (which does not convert to any of the WirelessKeyView values.

Wireless Migrator also gives "keyMaterial", which is approximatesly 300 hex digits

.

How to find my wireless internet settings?

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