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 How to Configure Wireless Settings
Windows XP Embedded SP2 Feature Pack 2007
How to Configure Wireless Settings

To use wireless networking on your device, your configuration or device must include:

  • A wireless card and any associated drivers and configuration utilities.
  • Wireless Zero Configuration, Primitive: Wzcsvc, and Network Provisioning Service components.
  • Wireless configuration settings that are specified through the Wireless Provisioning Service API.

The Wireless Provisioning Service (WPS) API is available in Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2, and by adding the Wireless Zero Configuration and Network Provisioning Service to Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 2. The WPS API is publicly documented, and a Driver Development Kit (DDK) is available to help you access the API for your wireless settings and devices. The Network Provisioning Service component also provides support for the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) standard.   

The typical solution is to write an application that calls the WPS API. This application can specify or detect the GUID for your wireless card, and specify the Service Set Identification (SSID) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption key on each device.

Because the same API is used and fully supported on both Windows Professional and Windows Embedded, you can use a regular computer running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 to develop and test your wireless application and devices. Then you can componentize the application and add it to an embedded device configuration.

Check the wireless card vendor's Web site for the latest wireless card drivers and configuration utilities that you can componentize, or for a componentized version of the drivers and configuration utilities for the wireless card that your device uses.

For information about troubleshooting wireless network connections in Windows XP Professional, see this Microsoft Web site.

To track your progress in the following table, select the check box next to each step.

  Step Topic
1. Review wireless networking and security. Windows XP Embedded supports both the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol and the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) standard. Wireless Networking Encryption
2. Enable wireless networking in your configuration. Add the necessary wireless components and their dependencies to your configuration in Target Designer. Adding the Wireless Zero Configuration Component
3. Add a wireless card to your device, including drivers and configuration utilities if available. Determine the resource requirements for your wireless card. Determining Application Resource Usage
/TD> 4. Write a custom program to access the WPS API. This program will specify the SSID, WEP encryption key, and GUID for the wireless networks and wireless cards that you want to support. You can create and test your configuration and settings on a computer running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2, or on an embedded device that contains Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 2 and the wireless components. Wireless Provisioning Service API
5. Create a custom component for your custom wireless program. Include all required binaries, resource files, and registry information. Creating a Component in Windows XP Embedded Studio Help
6. Import your custom component into the component database by using Component Database Manager. Importing an Object into the Database in Windows XP Embedded Studio Help
7. Add your custom component to your configuration by using Target Designer. Adding a Component to a Configuration in Windows XP Embedded Studio Help
8. Add a RunOnce Request resource to your run-time image so that your wireless profile runs during or after first boot. How to Create a RunOnce/Dedicated Application Run-Time Image
9. Build the run-time image. Building a Run-Time Image in Windows XP Embedded Studio Help

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