Windows 7 - Wireless connection before login possible?

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Is there a way for Windows 7 to connect to a wireless network before a user has logged in?

I have found no good answers to this question elsewhere. Some say it should already be happening if I am using Windows' connection management (WLAN AutoConnect, formerly WirelessZero), but I am using that, and it is not. I can sit at the login screen for as long as you please and it will not connect (watching the router from a separate PC), moments after I login it will connect.

Others have said that you need to use the manufacturer's connection management (not Windows'), and they can sometimes have the option for prelogin/prelogon connections, but I am using generic drivers. The device is a Netgear/Cisco WMP300N, with a Broadcom chipset. Netgear/Cisco and Broadcom all claim to not have drivers for Win7, but Win7 apparently comes with a functional driver.

EJ

Posted 2010-03-10T05:29:49.763

Reputation:

To further clarify: this is a home network, no active directory or anything like that. Just a wireless router and a desktop computer. Using WEP security. No tricky setup or 'funniness'. I want this computer to be available to the network after a power-on without having to physically go to it and login. – None – 2010-03-10T05:34:31.347

what will you do before logging in ? just curious – Ye Lin Aung – 2010-03-10T06:28:03.663

@mgpyone want the system to be able to run backups and such in the background without me having to log in. – jcantara – 2010-04-12T18:33:39.933

Have you figured this out? Let me know what you've tried. – sam yi – 2013-12-08T08:05:16.020

I've found this and it's not working for me... http://www.ehow.com/how_7241258_make-authenticate-wireless-prior-logon.html

– sam yi – 2013-12-08T08:05:33.320

Answers

8

Try adding an entry in the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run registry key.

In a command prompt, get the name of your profile by running netsh wlan show profile

Then in registry editor, add a string value to the above mentioned key. Call it anything, but its value should be something like

%comspec% /c netsh wlan connect name="<profile name>"

If there are no profiles available, make sure the automatically connect option is on (although from your question, it appears to be on).

Soumya

Posted 2010-03-10T05:29:49.763

Reputation: 967

Any thoughts on how/if this can be adapted for any recognized wifi? (i.e one that's already been connected to and has a password stored) The only real answers I've found are all for wpa2-enterprise (therefore domain-bound) and this is for some workgroup laptops. All will be upgraded to Win10 soon. – JoelAZ – 2018-05-12T22:59:45.460

Asked: 2010-03-10T05:29:49.763

Viewed: 43 487 times

Active: 2015-05-26T10:38:51.523