Three Ways to Save Your Wi-Fi Settings

In the digital age, close to seven in ten people worldwide use Wi-Fi or mobile data, and for most of us, on our phones, laptops, or iPads, it's all about the data. Gone are the days when we log on; now we live on our wireless network profiles and their perks. So, it pays to know your way around them. What are wireless network profiles? How do you back them up? Fear not; we've got you covered.

What is a wireless network profile?

Wireless networks allow devices to connect to the internet without needing a mess of wires. Access points amplify the Wi-Fi signal so devices can stay connected even when they're far from the router. A Wi-Fi hotspot you connect to at a café, hotel, airport lounge, or other public place is a way of accessing that business's network.

The first time you connect to a network, Windows creates a network profile and saves it on your computer. After that, your computer automatically connects to the network using the settings that you chose.

If you don't see the network you want to connect to in the Available Networks list, it might be a non-broadcast network. In that case, you can create a profile for the network and then connect to it automatically.

Here, you can add details about the network, like the network name, security type, key, and so on.

2. Practical Method for Backing Up Wi-Fi Configurations

The configuration file contains all the information needed to control and debug a wireless network. To restore an entire wireless network to a known state, you must back up its configuration file(s).

In case of a network disruption, having a backup of your configuration file will help you identify which devices were affected. You can quickly restore your wireless network by duplicating the current wireless settings of a device and changing them as needed. On Windows and Android, you can view your wireless profile configurations in "Programs" (Windows) – "Network Connections" – "Default Settings."

To back up your wireless network settings, you'll need a wireless network and an internet connection. You can use a Wi-Fi router or a laptop, and install the Wi-Fi Windows Backup. You'll have to create a wireless network configuration file and enter your network information. Here are two practical ways to backup your wireless network configuration:

Solution 1: Back up the wireless network configuration file using Command Prompt

If you know the commands to use, you can use netsh from the Command Prompt. There are also several network utilities and downloadable programs for saving and restoring wireless profiles, but these aren't necessary if you don't want to install anything else.

Please follow the instructions below to back up your wireless network configuration using command prompts:

< b > Step 1. < / b > Open Windows Search and type cmd. Start searching for "Command Prompt" from here.

Figure A The Command Prompt window

Step 2. To view the available wireless profiles, type "netsh wlan show profiles." If you know the name of the profile, you can skip this step.

<img src="/images/en/wiki-news/using-command-prompt-2.png" width="700" height="395" alt="Command Prompt 2">

Step 3. Now, we will export all available profiles. The command is: netsh WLAN export profile key=clear folder= [Save Path]. Replace [Save Path] with the folder path where you want to save the configuration files on your computer/PC (without the brackets). For example, our path is C:\Users\pug19\Desktop.

4. Next, save the configuration file as a separate .xml file to the specified folder. If you only need to save one shape, you can include it directly in the command, like this: netsh WLAN export profile [profile name] key=clear folder=[folder path].

Here's the sentence translated into American English: "Display the Command Prompt with the 'netsh profile export' command."

If the command includes the `key=clear` parameter, the password will be displayed in plain text within the XML file. It's not very secure, but it can be helpful if you need to see the password for reference. If this parameter is not provided, the password will be encrypted.

Now you can copy the configuration file to the new computer, and optionally rename the file. When restoring the configuration file, make sure to use the same file name.

Solution 2: Backup your Wi-Fi settings to a USB drive on Windows 7

We use the built-in backup tool in Windows 7 to automatically save our network passwords to a USB drive. This works with any WEP, WPA, or TKIP security key.

Step 1 Go to the Windows Start Menu Orb and type "Manage Wireless" in the search box, then hit Enter.

2. Right-click the network you want to back up, and select “Properties” from the context menu.

Step 3. Now, in the Properties window, on the Connection tab, click Copy the network configuration to a USB flash drive.

Step 4: The Backup Tool will appear. Just click "Next" to complete the backup.

(Images: Backing up Wi-Fi settings to USB 2)

Now, plug this into a computer, choose “Connect to a network,” and up pops autoplay.

Connect to a saved network using Auto-play.

You can also access the network settings from the text file "WSETTING.txt" saved/available on the USB drive in the "SMRTNTKY" folder.

A better way: Use file backup software.

The methods mentioned above are relatively complicated and require high technical skills. Any misstep could make it difficult to achieve the goal. Therefore, it's recommended that you use the comprehensive tools Backup software to accomplish this task. It's user-friendly and completes the job with just a few simple steps.

Todo Backup Home is a data protection software that helps you back up systems, disks, partitions, and files/documents! It can easily back up data to local drives, NAS, secure zones, and cloud storage. You can use it to create automatic backup, full backup, incremental backup and differential backup. In addition, it supports hard disk cloning and Windows system migration. For instance, you can use it to migrate Windows 10 to SSD.

Here are the specific steps:

Step 1. To start the backup, tap on the "Choose what to back up" option.

Step 2: There are four backup categories, Files, Disk, OS, and Email. Please click on “Files”.

**Step 3.** On the left, you'll see both local and network files. Expand the folders to locate your backup file.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to choose where you want to save your backup.

Click the “Options” button, go to “Backup Options” to set a password for your backup, and then click “Backup Schedule” to set the time for backups. You can also choose other options to meet your specific needs.

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Step 5: Backups can be stored on a local disk, on an EDS server, or on a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

Step 6: Todo Backup Advanced allows users to back up data to third-party cloud storage or to their own cloud storage.

To back up your data to a third-party cloud drive, choose “Local Disk,” scroll down, and add a “Cloud Device.” Then sign in to your account.

You can also choose to use Maxthon Cloud. First, sign up for a Maxthon account, then click "Maxthon Cloud" and log in.

Abstract

Backing up your wireless network configuration is incredibly important. Wireless networks are a great way for portable devices to access data. They're fast, easy to use, and can be easily adjusted on your device. While you can efficiently backup your wireless network, make sure you backup your wireless configuration files so you can restore any changes made to the network. Lastly, make sure to backup your configuration files for a quick recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where are my wireless profiles stored?

Type cmd into the Windows search bar, then open Command Prompt. Type netsh wlan show profiles and press ↵ Enter. You'll see a list of all the network profiles for the current user.

2. Should my Wi-Fi network be open or closed?

A public network is recommended by Microsoft.

This is the network you use to connect to the Internet at home, in the office, or in public. In most cases, this will help. It makes your PC invisible to other devices on the network, so they can't access shared files or printers.

3. Can the owner of a Wi-Fi network see what I'm seeing?

Yes, the owner or provider of a WiFi can access the management panel through the WiFi router, which means they can see browsing information and search history conducted on their WiFi network. Additionally, the router can log information about when and what you were doing on your computer/PC.

4. Can anyone spy on me through Wi-Fi?

If someone gains access to your WiFi, they can monitor unencrypted traffic, meaning they can see data traveling across your network, including personal information from your devices, such as your name, address, and even financial-account details.