Communication software to aid portable computers monitor, and correct problems accessing a network through a wireless access point. The software controls the exchange of information with other portable computers in the vicinity of the wireless access point. The information exchanged may be used to diagnose problems at the wireless layer, the network layer, the transport layer or the application layer. The information exchanged may provide information about the configuration of computers that successfully or unsuccessfully communicate through the wireless access point. A portable computer receiving this configuration information may compare it to similar information about its own configuration to diagnose problems. Such software may be of particular benefit for portable computers experiencing difficulty connecting to a network at a wireless hot spot.