I would like to be able to replace an existing router with a better one without everyone having to retype the saved password. I have tried cloning the LAN MAC address, and router name, but there still must be another setting that windows uses to truly identify a router, because it still asks for a password. I am using DD-WRT on the new router, so I should have access to just about any parameter that isn't hardwired.
What saved password? The wireless key? Windows doesn't care about your router, it has no conception of what it is and does not identify it at all. Cloning MAC adddresses is not a good idea, can cause ARP problems and stop connections.
As long as you use the same wireless key and SSID on the new router it will work fine.
SOURCE: What does Windows use to identify a wireless network?
I think the problem you are facing here is related to the authentication method and process. If your new router uses a different authentication protocol, your computer struggles to provide the correct key in the challenge process.
Look at this article from MS for more information on protocols.
But why not take the opportunity and change the key while installing the new router?
I usually copy the key from within the router's web interface to a .txt file on a USB stick and paste it from there when asked for. That saves me the headache of typos and remembering it.
For a wired LAN, I make it available via Active Directory, which tells me that the user a) has to be connected via cable first (no outside or roaming intruder) and b) has the credentials to retrieve the key.
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Yes, I'm sorry for the oversight, but I had indeed used the same SSID, (as well as the same wireless channel, WEP key, and nearly every other configurable option...) and yet, windows could still differentiate the two routers. I suspect that since nothing I've tried has worked, windows uses a serial or model number which is non-configurable, and different for routers from different manufacturers. I am starting to belive that I can't achieve what I was hoping to achieve here...
Have you set the SSID on the router to the same string as used on your old router? The SSID is the identification string that the router broadcasts so that computers can show the name when it asks if you want to join a network.
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