[Sephiroth]

The auto-connect will need confirming before proceeding much further. You can imagine that if they have to connect via the network icon and select an SSID, a neighbour's SSID could be entered first time and the right one next time. Sort of thing. That has to be eliminated.

To be clear - because your description is a little ambiguous to my eyes - the wireless drops (for whatever reason) and when they reconnect:

1/
If it's not automatic, they would choose an SSID and provide a password.

2/
If it's automatic connection, the password is provided by Windows

So exactly what is happening?

If you returned to the Powerline solution, presumably this won't happen? I don't find our Powerlines cumbersome st all; I'm so pleased to have them. Mind you, I'm in modem mode because I don't believe in these combo modems even though the SH2 is decent wireless.