Configure Preferred and Prohibited Networks

Available for: Windows clients (1.4.1 and later) and Android clients (2.0.0 and later).

Special rules to prefer or prohibit networks can be set for individual networks in your Wi-Fi and Mobile Broadband directories, as well as for different security types, controlling how Open Mobile will display these networks to users. Prefer and prohibit rules supersede any Network Policy settings.

• Preferred Networks: A network (name or MAC address) defined as preferred will always be used for connections (if possible), and shown at the top of the Available Networks list. (Step 4 in the following process)
• Prohibited Networks: A network (name or MAC address) defined as prohibited will never be used for connections. A prohibited network can be shown as disabled or even hidden entirely from the user. (Step 4 in the following process)
• Rename: A rule can also be used to rename a network in the list of Available Networks, choosing a display name that is clearer and more convenient for your users. For example, if your corporate network has a non-descript SSID (for example, corp-hq-east), Open Mobile could display the SSID as something friendlier like My Corporate Network. (Step 5 in the following process)
• Annotation: In addition to display name, an annotation can be used to explain details about the network, which would be displayed to users in Open Mobile when the network is detected. (Step 5 in the following process)
• Disabled Security Types: You can set a policy to disable a single security type, such as WPA-PSK-AES, from use in Open Mobile. (Step 3 in the following process)

Using this page, you can set a policy type, a policy rule, and a display name or annotation.

To set a special network rule, or to set a display name or annotation:

1. Click Configure.
2. Click Define New Policy.
3. Under Policy Type, do one of the following:
   • Select Network Name, and enter the name of the network for which you will define a policy. Note: for purposes of a prefer or prohibit rule, the Network Name or SSID is not case-sensitive. Proceed to Step 4.
   • Select Network MAC Address, and enter the network MAC address for which you will define a policy. Proceed to Step 4.
   • Select Security, and then select a type of wireless network to disable in Open Mobile, based on security type, from the drop-down list ¹⁾. Then, click Save to save your policy.
4. Under Policy Rule, pick one of the following one of the following:
   • Prefer Network: Select this to prefer connections to this network (name or MAC address) and show it at the top of the Available Networks list.
     • To make the preferred network exclusive, select Disable connections to all other networks when this network is available.
   • Prohibit Connections: Select this to prevent access to this network (name or MAC address), select Prohibit connections to this network. Then select one of the following:
     • Gray out network in Available Networks list: the network will be shown in Open Mobile, but disabled.
     • Do not display this network: hides the network from Open Mobile users.
   • Other: Choose Other to disable Auto-Connect for a particular network (name or MAC address). (This setting has no effect on preferred or prohibited networks.)
     • To force users to connect manually to the network, select Disable Auto-Connect to this network.
5. Under Display Name and Annotation:
   • In Display Name, enter the name you would like displayed for this network in the Available Networks list.
   • In Annotation, enter the text of the network annotation.
6. Click Save.

Configuration Settings > Connectivity > Configure Networks and Policies