Disable Wireless Windows Vista at WLAN Book.com

October 7th, 2007

Disable Wireless In Windows Vista

by Zaib Kaleem

Disabling your wireless connection when connected to a wired connection is an easy way to eliminate the risk of an open connection and also preserves battery power.

Disable Wireless In Windows Vista

For Windows Vista, to temporarily disable your wireless connection, you can try one of these methods:

Most newer laptops have a physical switch to turn your wireless off or on. The switch is usually located near the front edge of the laptop.
Some laptops may also have a keyboard switch. For example, on Dell laptops, pressing FN + F2 on your keyboard will disable and enable your wireless. Usually the key has a wireless symbol, but you may have to consult your manufacturer’s manual.
You can also disable and enable wireless from your Vista operating system. First, select the Start menu > Control Panel. Then click Network and Sharing Center > Manage wireless connections. Right-click on the wireless connection, and then either select disable or enable.

For large organizations, a more scalable solution is to use software, like our BridgeChecker application, that can do this automatically based on detection of enabled networking interfaces.

BridgeChecker

BridgeChecker is a windows utility that can automatically disable/enable wireless interfaces. Whenever your computer is connected to an Ethernet port and the link state is good, the utility can automatically turns off the IEEE 802.11 wireless network interface. This conserves IP address allocation, reduces security risks, resolves dual interface routing issues, and prolongs battery life.