Hi fellas,
Access Connections is a very good program for those that require to manage multiple networking access solutions (different types WLAN/WAN/WWAN, domain, etc), however, it's overkill for the average user that requires quick, easy access to one or a few APs (wifi access points). Native wifi network controllers/management software will work more smoothly and offer much better connectivity than third party software. Don't get me wrong, Access Connections is a great peice of software, but as mentioned, it's just too much for even the above-average user.
Possible solutions:
For Intel wifi cards: 2200BG, 3945ABG, 4965AGN
If you folks are running XP/2000/Vista and using an Intel card (regardless of the model, i.e., 2200BG, 3945ABG, 4965AGN), then I'd strongly suggest to use
Intel's Wireless Networking Manager.
It's freely downloadable, easy to set up with as many options as Access Connections yet it will not interfere with the MS XP wifi manager, which is rather cumbersome and bug-ridden (in fact, the Intel wifi Manager will disregard the MS wifi manager and prevent it from overriding your settings). Give that a try and see if it helps you to maintain a stable wifi connection.
Make certain to fully uninstall Access Connections before installing the Intel Wifi Manager.For Atheros-based cards: Thinkpad a/b/g/, Thinkpad a/b/g/n
There's a utility Atheros provides, which is called the "
Atheros Client Utility" (install only the Client Utility, not the drivers from this package!!!) - again, like the Intel Wifi Manager, Atheros Client Utility supercedes Microsoft's own "wifi manager", does not conflict with it and does a much better job at hardware management than other third party utilities. Keep in mind that Atheros has not yet provided a Vista-compatible version of its software - it will run only on XP.
As with the solution above, make certain to fully uninstall Access Connections before installing the Atheros Client Utility.Hope this helps!
Steve
