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join win7 homegroup = automatic internet access?

1302 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  sievers, 
S
When I setup my new htpc (currently wireless, but not for long), and added it to my win7 homegroup, I got internet access immediately. I did not have to provide my wifi network credentials. In the network settings, it does not show the name of my wifi network, it just says "network".


Is this a feature of homegroups?


I double checked my router config and the wireless security is most definitely still on. I did add the mac address of my new pc to the mac filter before adding it to the homegroup.


(sorry I did not see a more appropriate category for this question, and I know avs guys are the smartest forum around!)


thanks
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A
Yes, I do this all the time. Just make sure you are set to "Home" when it asks you what type of network and enter your network key and you are done.
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G
But you did enter the credential (the WPA2 passkey set in the router settings) when you connected to the network (not the homegroup), right?
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Well, you'd think so, but no. Now I'm not clear on exactly what happened, because it doesn't seem to make sense that I could connect to the homegroup without even being on the network. But that seems to be what happened. Maybe I will try to recreate this scenario to verify.


Some more info - I am using a linksys WGA54G, which is a wireless gaming adapter. It was previously connected directly to my tv for some internet features it has built in, which I did have to provide the wifi password when I first set that up. Maybe this device remembers the network, since I did not reset it, just pulled the ethernet cable out of my tv and plugged it into the htpc. Now after thinking about that, it must be it, because I know people have been over and I've let them connect to my network, but they always needed the password, so I don't think the security is messed up.
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G
Wait a second, let`s make this more clear. So your HTPC is connected to the network directly to the router via an ethernet cable, and not via a USB wireless dongle, am i correct?
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A
If wireless connection you will have to enter network/router password as well one time.
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Z
Quote:
Originally Posted by sievers
Well, you'd think so, but no. Now I'm not clear on exactly what happened, because it doesn't seem to make sense that I could connect to the homegroup without even being on the network. But that seems to be what happened. Maybe I will try to recreate this scenario to verify.


Some more info - I am using a linksys WGA54G, which is a wireless gaming adapter. It was previously connected directly to my tv for some internet features it has built in, which I did have to provide the wifi password when I first set that up. Maybe this device remembers the network, since I did not reset it, just pulled the ethernet cable out of my tv and plugged it into the htpc. Now after thinking about that, it must be it, because I know people have been over and I've let them connect to my network, but they always needed the password, so I don't think the security is messed up.
When you use a bridge device like that, it is the bridge that is the only wireless device and needs a password. Devices plugged into the bridge think they are hard wired to your router and don't need a password. You could plug different devices into that gaming adapter all day without ever putting in a password. They would connect to your network just as if you plugged them directly into your router. The bridge is what is wirelessly connected. If you didn't turn it off, it never disconnected. If you did turn it off, when turned back on it would reconnect because yes, it does store the password. The pc is, in effect, hard wired (albeit not performance wise).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenEyez /forum/post/20845393


Wait a second, let`s make this more clear. So your HTPC is connected to the network directly to the router via an ethernet cable, and not via a USB wireless dongle, am i correct?
Click to expand...

No it's htpc > ethernet cable > wireless gaming adapter > wireless router.


So after seeing what zon2020 has said, I think that's right, the adapter just remembered the connection, so like he says, I can plug anything into it and it's as if it's hard wired.


Thanks! It was just one of those things that I didn't really think about at first, but then after the fact, thought what the??? I have never used that device actually for gaming, just with the tv (also years ago with a dish network box, but it was out of commission for a while and I had to set it up again when I put it on the tv when I bought it last year), never swapped anything else on it so I just hadn't thought much about how it actually worked.
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