However, after a reboot, Windows 8 does not automatically re-connect to the ESP8266, as it was instructed. I suspect that's because Windows finds my wired Ethernet connection to an internet router (and maybe because the connection was detected to be "limited"). It seems to think one connection is enough. If I disable the Ethernet adapter, Windows automatically re-connects to the ESP8266 after booting.
Is there a convenient way (a setting somewhere) to make Windows 8 connect automatically to the ESP8266, regardless of a wired Ethernet connection in the same PC?
The only solution I've found so far is to run this command line at boot: netsh wlan connect name=<ssid>