I have been using cox internet access for 3 months with no problems, but I am concerned that when I use my laptop, the
system does not ask for a login name nor password. I see other wifi systems in my neighborhood, and if I try to
access them, they ask for a password. Is this normal? I am guessing that my computer remembers the password
from when I initially set it up.
If it's one of our wireless gateways, like the Netgear CG3000D or the Cisco DPC3825, then it will come with security pre-enabled and a password/key printed on it. Even if it was reset to defaults, it would go back to secured settings. The only way one of our gateways would become unsecured is if you logged into it and turned security off.
Generally, once an SSID (network name) is selected and the correct key is entered, most operating systems and mobile devices will store that information and automatically reconnect to the network when available, and only request a password if the stored one is rejected.
Thanks for your reply.
Yes, it is a Cisco DPC3825. I suspected that the computer could be supplying the passphrase, but is there a way I can turn off the automatic login so I can see that it is in fact responding to the passphrase, and not letting all the neighbors in?
As far as I know there is no way to do this. Your PC vendor's support may be able to suggest an alternative however remembering the password is by design.
OK, I did finally get it to request the passphrase which they call the Network Security Key. So I feel a little more secure that everyone within wi-fi range cant automatically gain access. First I changed the password, leaving the network name the same. That did not result in the expected login box. But today I changed the network name, and that forced the laptop to come up with the passphrase. I had to hit the reset and setup buttons on the router, then go to 192.168.0.1 to do the setup all over again. There I could give it another name. I suppose there is an easier way, but that worked for me. An alternative way to verify the security would be to borrow someone else's laptop and see what it does.
Generally speaking when you first connect to a wireless network you will be prompted for whatever information is necessary to establish a connection. Once that is done, everything needed to connect is stored by Windows and as long as you continue to connect that means nothing has changed on the router's end. If you stop being able to automatically connect that means something has changed somewhere and warrants exploring further.
