Connect to Wi-Fi access point with specific MAC address

Question

I can see several (5+) Wi-Fi access points with the same SSID, but different MAC addresses (using InSSIDer). However, my Windows 7 laptop always keeps connecting to one of the APs, and I suspect it's not the best one.

How can I choose to connect to a Wi-Fi access point with a different MAC address? Is there a custom connection manager that allows specifying the MAC address of the preferred AP?

Answer 1

You can do this with Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software, but this can only be done if you have Intel® Wireless Adapter. If you have Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software you need to:

1. Right click light bulb icon in system tray -> "Configure Wi-Fi"
2. Right click on wanted network and select "Properties"
3. Write down the wanted BSSID
4. Press "Close"
5. Click "Profiles" -> "Manage Profiles" (Ctrl+R) or click "Profiles..."
6. Select wanted network, and then click "Properties..."
7. Click "Advanced"
8. Select "Mandatory Access Point" and enter custom MAC address (same as BSSID)

This worked for me on Dell Latitude E5520. I don't know if there is custom program for all wireless adapters.

Answer 2

Although Nouhad Velladath suggested the right software for this task, he missed to tell how exactly to achieve this. NetSetMan has a built-in Wi-Fi manager that shows all available wireless networks. If there are different access points (with different MAC addresses) they're listed individually so you can choose the prefered one and connect to it.

Open it from the main menu: Tools > NSM WiFi Management

Here is a description of it (together with a download): http://www.netsetman.com/en/wifi

Answer 3

The short answer is no, you can't. At least, not with any standard solution. The manufacturer of your WiFi card might offer a custom connection manager that offers this functionality, but I've never seen it.

Windows will generally select the strongest signal among access points with the same SSID in the same band. On some WiFi cards, you can tune the "roaming agressiveness" from the device manager. This essentially decides how much better a signal has to be for Windows to switch access points with the same SSID. (You can turn it down if frequent AP changes are disrupting connectivity, and you can turn it up if you're getting stuck on a poor AP.)

One common irritation is that the strongest signal may not yield the fastest transfers. I have this issue myself with one access point that uses a 20MHz bandwidth and one that uses a 40MHz bandwidth. Windows will choose the 20MHz signal if it's stronger even if it yields a lower transfer rate.

However, my advice to you would be to focus on what's causing your issue rather than trying to patch around it. Is Windows choosing the stronger signal? If so, why isn't that working for you?

Answer 4

Passmark WirelessMon is what you're looking for.

It has a 30-day evaluation trial and works perfectly on Windows 7.

http://www.passmark.com.au/products/wirelessmonitor.htm

Using this software will display a list of every wireless network in the local area, providing a breakdown of its MAC address, channel, and other useful information.

For example, if there are six access points in range, all with an SSID, "hotel_ap", then you'll see six individual rows as separate entries.

You can then find one with the MAC address you want, right-click it, and select 'connect to AP'. The in-built windows wireless network manager will then drop whatever (if any) connection you currently have, and attempt to connect to the device with the MAC address you selected within the Passmark Wireless Monitor software.

You can also set the software to start with your computer, as well as build up a list of hotspot priorities, by MAC address. It's a pretty effective bit of kit for what you're after.

Hope this helps!

SOURCE: I'm using it to write this!

Answer 5

Using Intel Wireless Card:

open Control Panel-> Networtk and sharing connection center-> Select your Wireless network--> wireless properties-->enable intel connection settings-->configure--> mandatory access point->enter MAC address.

Try this.

Answer 6

If you see that many access points nearby that all have the same ssid, it's probably running a system by cisco, aruba, meraki, or similar that has a load balancing feature built in.

In other words, you might not be on the access point with the strongest signal, but if not it's probably because many others are on that access point as well, and you'll do better by using a more distant access point. Overriding this choice is more likely to hurt you than help you.

Answer 7

I had the same problem, and solved it using Passmark WirelessMon software in Win7. You can also use Linux, and configure the AP MAC address very easily. For example, you can try Lubuntu (not Ubuntu), which is quite simple and performant. But one of the first thing to do is to install the proprietary drivers of your video card, because if you don't, your laptop will probably get hotter than with Win7.

Answer 8

I could connect using an utility using NetSetMan:

Are you tired of manually changing your location-based network and system configuration on your laptop or computer every day? Then NetSetMan is your solution. It will do the work for you. Switch between configuration profiles for different locations instantly!