'Lock' a wireless connection to a computer?

[FeelsGoodman]

Hi, lurked for a while, signed up today!

The issue I'm having is we have a classroom using a lapsafe, running 12 laptops all trying to go through a wireless access point. This room happens to be next to a house that has an unsecured wireless connection. What happens is the laptops seem to keep going to either one connection, a lot of time the unsecured network - the unsecured access point must be way more powerful than our access point in the same room. The students are not able to log into the domain a lot of the time, even though the wireless is turned on and signifying that it is working. The college access point is of course saved onto the laptops as the default connection for these computers.

Is there any way we can somehow 'lock' the one wireless connection to each laptop? So it refuses to join the unsecured network no matter what?

Cheers!

[K.C.Leblanc]

If you're using GPO to setup your wireless,go to whichever policy sets your wirelss properties, go to Computer COnfiguration > Windows Settings > Secuirty Settings > Wireless Network....

You should then have a list of policies (or idealy only one) listed in the right hand pane. Right click on this an dchoose properties. Make sure the "Automaticaly COnnect to non-prefered networks" box ISN'T ticked. The go to the Prefered Networks tab and check that only your SSID is listed.

If you're not using GPO go to the properties for you wireless connection. Choose the "Wireless Networks" tab. Make sure only your SSID is listed, then click advanced and make sure "Automaticaly COnnect to non-prefered networks" box ISN'T ticked.

However you also need to check that your computers are suitably locked down so the users can't change the wireless settings. I'd strongly suspect your users are delibratly changing which network the laptops connect, either to try to get round internet filtering or just because kids like doing stupid thing.

[Michael]

I would be tempted to source the unsecure wireless network and secure it for this person. It could save you a lot of work and I am sure the person in question would be very grateful.

It is surprising just how many unsecure wireless networks there are. In my experience on average you'll find at least one per street (depending on the size of the street).