Windows 7 / Networking

Creating User-Specific Wireless Connections

By default, when you connect to a wireless network and then elect to save the network (by activating the Save This Network check box after the connection has been made), Windows 7 makes the wireless connection available to all users of the computer. (That is, Windows 7 stores the wireless network connection in the computer's All Users profile, which is the profile that Windows 7 uses to make objects available to every user account on the computer.) This is usually the best way to go because it means you only have to make the connection to the wireless network once, and then the connection is set up for every user account.

Sometimes, however, you might not want other users to have access to a particular wireless network connection. For example, your neighbor might allow you to use his wireless network, but only on the condition that your kids not use the network.

For these kinds of situations, Windows 7 enables you to create user-specific wireless connections. This means that when a user connects to a wireless network, Windows 7 enables that user to save the wireless network connection in the user's profile. The other users on the computer will not see the connection.

Here are the steps to follow to activate Windows 7's user-specific profiles (or per-user profiles, as Windows 7 calls them) for wireless networks:

  1. Open the Manage Wireless Networks window, as described earlier.
  2. Select Profile Types in the taskbar. Windows 7 displays the Wireless Network Profile Type dialog box.
  3. Select the Use All-User and Per-User Profiles option.
  4. Click Save. Windows 7 puts the new setting into effect.

Now, when a user creates a wireless network connection, Windows 7 displays the dialog box, which gives the user three options:

  • Save This Network for All Users of This Computer-The user selects this option to save the wireless network connection in the All Users profile, which means that every user account will have access to the wireless network.
  • Save This Network for Me Only-The user selects this option to save the wireless network connection in the user's profile only. Other user accounts will not have access to the wireless network.
  • Don't Save This Network-The user selects this option to bypass saving the network connection.
[Previous] [Contents] [Next]

In this tutorial:

  1. Setting a Small Network
  2. Setting Up a Peer-to-Peer Network
  3. Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name
  4. Connecting to a Wireless Network
  5. Working with Windows 7's Basic Network Tools and Tasks
  6. Accessing the Network and Sharing Center
  7. Setting Up a Homegroup
  8. Activating Homegroup Connections
  9. Creating a Homegroup
  10. Joining a Homegroup
  11. Accessing the Homegroup
  12. Changing Homegroup Settings
  13. Turning Off Homegroup Connections
  14. Viewing Network Computers and Devices
  15. Displaying a Network Map
  16. Viewing Network Status Details
  17. Customizing Your Network
  18. Managing Network Connections
  19. Opening the Network Connections Window
  20. Renaming a Network Connection
  21. Enabling Automatic IP Addressing
  22. Confirming That Windows 7 Is Configured for Dynamic IP Addressing
  23. Displaying the Computer's Current IP Address
  24. Setting Up a Static IP Address
  25. Displaying the Current DNS Addresses
  26. Specifying the Static IP Address
  27. Using a Network Connection to Wake Up a Sleeping Computer
  28. Disabling a Network Connection
  29. Managing Wireless Network Connections
  30. Opening the Manage Wireless Networks Window
  31. Creating an Ad Hoc Wireless Network
  32. Working with Wireless Connection Properties
  33. Modifying Connection Properties
  34. Modifying Security Properties
  35. Renaming Wireless Connections
  36. Reordering Wireless Connections
  37. Creating User-Specific Wireless Connections
  38. Removing Wireless Connections