Working with Wireless Connection Properties

When you connect to a wireless network, Windows 7 eases network management by doing two things:

• Windows 7 automatically stores the network in the Manage Wireless Networks window.
• If you tell Windows 7 to save the connection data (by activating the Connect Automatically check box), Windows 7 initiates the connection as soon as it detects the network when you log on. (In the Manage Wireless Networks window, Windows 7 displays the network's Mode value as Automatically Connect.)

These two features mean that, after running through the initial wireless network connection, you may never have to think about the connection again. However, if some aspect of the connection changes down the road, Windows 7 enables you to modify various connection properties, as described in the next two sections.

Before getting to the specifics, here are the techniques you can use to open a wireless network connection's Properties dialog box:

• Open the Manage Wireless Networks window, as described earlier, and then doubleclick the wireless network you want to work with.
• If the wireless network connection appears in the Network and Sharing Center, click the connection's link to open the Status dialog box, and then click Wireless Properties.