Local access only: unable to set Home Network

Can anyone please tell me why, when connecting wirelessly under Windows 7, to a wireless access point I am unable to change the "Network Type" from Public to Home, thus no connection to the Internet is allowed? I cannot change any of the parameters of the network at all. Under XP on the same network I have no problems at all.

I have set up three access points by simply adding additional wireless modems (of the same brand as the primary modem), turning off DCHP and U PnP and assigning a unique IP address, to avoid DCHP conflicts (as I understood it).

Which change would I have to make to the access points such that Windows 7 fully recognises each access point and allow me to assign them to type "Home"?

I don't have the units here, I was helping a friend, so am unable to currently provide specific details beyond the fact that they are new(ish) Netgear modems. Thank you.

Hi kegobeer,

No I haven't. I'd rather hoped it wouldn't require these seemingly complex additional layers, but reading that solution again, and the fact that my problem network is in a public location for use by guests, this may be the way I have to go. I really want to avoid each client having to configure their network type manually.

By the way the network is open (no encryption) at the request of the owner. Would adding a simple password help, or is this issue exactly as your link suggests ie a gateway issue?

Thanks for your prompt reply.

Well, I seem to have discovered that this problem is not quite what I thought it was, so require further help.

In going through the above proposed solution, I decided to move one of the remote modems that was configured as an access point, and move it into the same room as the rest of the equipment in order to make testing easier. So I now connected this second Netgear unit to the network by direct wired connection to the main modem/router (an identical Netgear unit). And strangely enough Windows 7 could now correctly recognise the network and up popped the window to select network type etc.

So what I've discovered is that the original setup with DHCP assignment and the overall routing works fine. What appears to have screwed it up is that I am using Belkin Powerline HD units to distribute the internet signal to each of the access points. Thus when I wire them each directly, the system works fine. When I replace each access point in its remote physical location, and take the internet signal via the Powerline units, some part of the addressing system/token exchange ceases to work.

Does anyone have any insight or experience with this and able to suggest a fix? I'm going to contact Belkin to see what they say. I should point out that this is still a problem confined only to Windows 7. The network works fine as is on older machines.