Wireless Zero: Turn Radio Off?

[Daddy]

I have Windows XP Home SP 3 and manage my wireless network with Wirelezz Zero. Works great--I prefer it to the utility that came from the manufacturer of my wireless equipment (D-Link.)

My network uses WPA2 but when my son wants to play online with his Nintendo DS Lite, I have to switch the network to WEP. D-Link's utility had a setting that allowed me 'turn off' the radio' on wireless network clients, effectively disconnecting them from the network. That way, we could use our computer safely, albeit not online, while my son was playing with his DS.

Is there a similar 'turn off/turn on radio' feature with Wireless Zero?

Daddy

 

[Jack-MVP]

Hi
You do not need to switch the Radio Off. From the Network Center drag a link
of the Wireless Network Connection to the desktop.
Right click on the icon and you can disable the Wireless. a second right
click and you can choose to enable it again.
If the Wireless connector is disabled the Wireless does not work.
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)


I have Windows XP Home SP 3 and manage my wireless network with Wirelezz
Zero. Works great--I prefer it to the utility that came from the
manufacturer of my wireless equipment (D-Link.)

My network uses WPA2 but when my son wants to play online with his Nintendo
DS Lite, I have to switch the network to WEP. D-Link's utility had a setting
that allowed me 'turn off' the radio' on wireless network clients,
effectively disconnecting them from the network. That way, we could use our
computer safely, albeit not online, while my son was playing with his DS.

Is there a similar 'turn off/turn on radio' feature with Wireless Zero?

Daddy

 

[Daddy]

Sorry...by "Network Center" do you mean "Network Connections"...as in Control Panel -> Network Connections? And "a link of the Wireless Network Connection" refers to the icon for my wireless network that appears in Network Connections? Just want to be sure I understand correctly.

Daddy

 

[Jack-MVP]

Hi
Yes it exactly what I meant.
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

Sorry...by "Network Center" do you mean "Network Connections"...as in
Control Panel -> Network Connections? And "a link of the Wireless Network
Connection" refers to the icon for my wireless network that appears in
Network Connections? Just want to be sure I understand correctly.

Daddy

 

[Pavel A.]

I have Windows XP Home SP 3 and manage my wireless network with Wirelezz Zero. Works great--I prefer it to the utility that came from the manufacturer of my wireless equipment (D-Link.)

My network uses WPA2 but when my son wants to play online with his Nintendo DS Lite, I have to switch the network to WEP. D-Link's utility had a setting that allowed me 'turn off' the radio' on wireless network clients, effectively disconnecting them from the network. That way, we could use our computer safely, albeit not online, while my son was playing with his DS.

Is there a similar 'turn off/turn on radio' feature with Wireless Zero?

Daddy

No, WZC has no such feature. To make the story short, this is because
there is no way to turn radio off thru software *reliably*,
and Microsoft does not want to take responsibility.
All portables with built in wi-fi adapters these days
have a *hardware* switch. When you need the radio off,
you just turn it off, and see the "wireless LED" goes off. No fiddling
with software.

Regards,
--pa

 

[Daddy]

Thank you both for your help. I understand now.

Daddy

 

[smlunatick]

No, WZC has no such feature. To make the story short, this is because
there is no way to turn radio off thru software *reliably*,
and Microsoft does not want to take responsibility.
All portables with built in wi-fi adapters these days
have a *hardware* switch. When you need the radio off,
you just turn it off, and see the "wireless LED" goes off. No fiddling
with software.

Regards,
--pa

There is a "software" method of turning off the wireless "adapter's"
radio. It is a setting within the driver. Since the drivers are not
written by Microsoft, there will not be an easy way of accessing this.

 

[Pavel A.]

There is a "software" method of turning off the wireless "adapter's"
radio. It is a setting within the driver. Since the drivers are not
written by Microsoft, there will not be an easy way of accessing this.

Yep. Vista/Win7 even has a perfectly standard open
interface to selectively control each mode of
multi band (A/G) adapters.
But _any software method is untrusted_.
Suppose you want to use your laptop on a plane, and prove to the
attendant that the radio is OFF.
For this you got one simple switch and one simple LED.
It doesn't matter what OS you've there and which drivers.
Can see how the LED goes on/off? so does the radio.

A little more details, if you'd like ...
The state of the hardware switch can be also sensed by the
netcard driver. So if user tries to connect, the software
can give her a proper message:
impossible, turn of the *hardware* switch first.
The driver can also put the adapter to max. power saving mode,
since it can not work anyway until switched on.

-- pa