ok i'm now figured out how to get the wireless connection for WEP working. I can't seem to connect though thru WPA. I have the dlink 624 which does allow WPA. Every time I change the settings to WPA on the desktop (the computer registered with isp) then go to my notebook and setup the connection for WPA it does not allow me onto the network. I'm not sure why. Can anybody tell me what's going wrong? And also, what is the difference between wEP encryption and WPA? Is it worth all this hassle? Am I still protected? Also, how do I make sure the firewall on the router is working ok? I haven't set anything up for it nor can I figure out where to. Thanks all.
mandy
i have now had to change the settings on my network back to wep disabled because my connection on the laptop was continiously lost. it seems to stay connected better without any encyption. i run zonealarm and avg, can somebody tell me if i'm potentially at risk here? and if so, help me stay connected. thanks
mandy
can somebody please answer my questions? i'm really worried about my online banking and other surfing considering i'm connected wirelessly without any WEP or WAP encyrption. My laptop cannot find the connection when I set up the network for WAP and if I set it up for WEP it drops the connection every 10 min. The only way I can hold onto the connection is with an open system and no encrption. I'm concerned with this. Like I said i use zonealarm and avg. I have the dlink 624 router with it connected with wires to my desktop (where I change all my network settings) and connected wirelessly to my laptop. please help i'm very concerned. i have gone thru the dlink site and cannot find any info on this. thanks.
I have run into similar problems (with DI624). I have only tried WEP (both 64 and 128 bit) and have same problems as you mentioned. When I contacted D Link tech support they told me that not only do I need to set the WEP key on the DI 624 but also on the wireless adaptor (in my case it is a LAN 2100 3A mini PCI built in with the Inspiron 600m). I have not been successful in getting the Dell wireless support tech on the phone to discuss the issue and was hoping that someone else has done this before. I couldn't find anything on the laptop (for the adaptor) that explains how to set this WEP key on the adaptor.
I was able to talk to Dell tech support this morning and found out how to set the WEP key on the PC wireless adaptor card. However, that still didn't solve the problem (I tried the 10 Hex character key which failed but was asked to try the 5 hex character ket which I haven't tried yet). The procedure is as follows:
1. Open your PC control panel and open "Network Connections" (double click on the icon)
2. In the window that pops up, highlight your wireless connection (left mouse button) and click right mouse button and select "properties".
3. A new window pops up(wireless network connection properties). Select "Wireless Networks" tab. In the preferred networks section highlight the line which identifies your wireless connection and click on properties button.
4. A window called "default properties" pops up. There is a box labeled "data encryption". If you have not set up your adaptor for encryption (WEP) key, it should say " Disabled". Click on the "scroll bar arrow" to the right of the box (which says disabled) and it will give you the option to set up WEP key for the adaptor instlled on your PC. Select WEP option. Once you do that, it will ask you to insert the WEP key and confirm it. This is where I tried the 10 Hex character WEP key. This key must match the 10 Hex character WEP key that you need to set (or may have already set up) on the D-Link DI-624 wireless router. Click OK at the bottom of the "default properties" window. Also click Ok on any subsequent window that still is active on the screen. This should set the WEP on your laptop and "theoritically" the WEP should work! However, it didn't work for me and I was asked by the Dell tech to use a 5 Hex character (try a simple numerical pattern) and try, which I will do now. If it succeeds, I will let you know. By the way if you have not used WEP, make sure that you have at least a "windows" firewall set up on your wireless LAN connection. You can do so by clicking the right mouse key on the "wirelwss connection" icon on the bottom tool/status bar and selecting the "Change Windows Firewall settings" option (clicking the left mouse button on that option). This will open a window with the title " Windows Firewall". In this window select "On" button ( via left mouse button) and click OK. This will set the Windows Firewall on your connection and provide some form of protection.
WEP worked!!! The only wrong thing I said was to use 5 Hex charater WEP key. It turns out that DI-624 only uses a 10 Hex or 16 Hex WEP key. As such, try using a "numerical" string of 10 Hex character WEP key on the DI-624 and set the same key on the wireless adaptor on your PC with the procedure that I sent out earlier.
Yes, that's the 64-bit WEP. You can try the 128-bit WEP by typing 16 Hex numeric string (alphanumeric should work according to D-Link but I am happy with a numeric string, now that I know it works) in the procedure. I don't know the diff between WEP and WPA but I don't know if MS provides the option to set a WPA option on their adaptor (I didn't see one when I was setting the WEP key on the adaptor).
that's great ntknow! i will try when i get home. btw, how did you get the setup for the router to work with only a 10hex key? is that the 64bit encryption? i would like to use the 128. also, did dell say how to get the WPA encryption to work? That's better encryption isn't it? What's the difference?
Thanks for calling them. I was on the phone all night with dell cause I got hte dreaded blue screen last night. When we fixed that he said he wasn't trained in wireless so i'd have to call a different person. That was after beign on the phone for 2 hours so I wasn't calling back! haha....
128-bit WEP requires a 26 HEX digit key. That's four bits for each digit, or a total of 104 bits. The other 24 bits come from the "initialization vector" which is generated by the router. HEX digits can have the values 0 through 9 and A through F.
Here's an
article I found discussing wireless security and the differences between WEP and WPA. It's not highly technical, but provides a good overview of the issues.
You have discovered that not all Passphrase routines generate the same code key. When mixing manufacturers it is always highly advisable (actually always, even the same manufacturer) to make up your own key using 0-9 and A-F as random as you can make it. Of course write it down and keep it somewhere safe!!!
Thank you everyone for your help. I am still having trouble however. When I set up WEP on the desktop (the computer connected wired to the router) with a 26 character key, and I set it up on the laptop (connected wirelessly) it does connect. HOWEVER, every 10 min or so it will disconnect and a few minutes later it will connect again. If I try to set up WPA with or without PSK my laptop will not connect at all. So you see, i'm still having the same problems as I did in my orginal post. The only way I can get my laptop to stay connected to the router is thru open with no encryption whatsoever. I am not far from the router, only in the next room so that shouldn't be an issue.
Also, reading that article I would like to set up the router so that it only accepts the MAC address of my laptop. How do I find out what my MAC address is for my laptop. I think I have figured out where to input this for my router settings.
One more thing, I notice my IP addy for my laptop starts the same as the router address. I assume this is normal. Does the desktop (which is connect wired) need to have it's IP addy with the same start numbers as well? It is completly different. And if so, how do I change it?
Maybe I am missing some big step here that would make this all work. It was supposed to be easy! lol
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 26th, 2004 19:00
mandy
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 26th, 2004 20:00
mandy
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 27th, 2004 14:00
can somebody please answer my questions? i'm really worried about my online banking and other surfing considering i'm connected wirelessly without any WEP or WAP encyrption. My laptop cannot find the connection when I set up the network for WAP and if I set it up for WEP it drops the connection every 10 min. The only way I can hold onto the connection is with an open system and no encrption. I'm concerned with this. Like I said i use zonealarm and avg. I have the dlink 624 router with it connected with wires to my desktop (where I change all my network settings) and connected wirelessly to my laptop. please help i'm very concerned. i have gone thru the dlink site and cannot find any info on this. thanks.
mandy
ntknow
8 Posts
0
September 27th, 2004 16:00
Hi Mandy,
I have run into similar problems (with DI624). I have only tried WEP (both 64 and 128 bit) and have same problems as you mentioned. When I contacted D Link tech support they told me that not only do I need to set the WEP key on the DI 624 but also on the wireless adaptor (in my case it is a LAN 2100 3A mini PCI built in with the Inspiron 600m). I have not been successful in getting the Dell wireless support tech on the phone to discuss the issue and was hoping that someone else has done this before. I couldn't find anything on the laptop (for the adaptor) that explains how to set this WEP key on the adaptor.
NTknow
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 27th, 2004 20:00
johnallg
2 Intern
•
7.3K Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 00:00
ntknow
8 Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 03:00
I was able to talk to Dell tech support this morning and found out how to set the WEP key on the PC wireless adaptor card. However, that still didn't solve the problem (I tried the 10 Hex character key which failed but was asked to try the 5 hex character ket which I haven't tried yet). The procedure is as follows:
1. Open your PC control panel and open "Network Connections" (double click on the icon)
2. In the window that pops up, highlight your wireless connection (left mouse button) and click right mouse button and select "properties".
3. A new window pops up(wireless network connection properties). Select "Wireless Networks" tab. In the preferred networks section highlight the line which identifies your wireless connection and click on properties button.
4. A window called "default properties" pops up. There is a box labeled "data encryption". If you have not set up your adaptor for encryption (WEP) key, it should say " Disabled". Click on the "scroll bar arrow" to the right of the box (which says disabled) and it will give you the option to set up WEP key for the adaptor instlled on your PC. Select WEP option. Once you do that, it will ask you to insert the WEP key and confirm it. This is where I tried the 10 Hex character WEP key. This key must match the 10 Hex character WEP key that you need to set (or may have already set up) on the D-Link DI-624 wireless router. Click OK at the bottom of the "default properties" window. Also click Ok on any subsequent window that still is active on the screen. This should set the WEP on your laptop and "theoritically" the WEP should work! However, it didn't work for me and I was asked by the Dell tech to use a 5 Hex character (try a simple numerical pattern) and try, which I will do now. If it succeeds, I will let you know. By the way if you have not used WEP, make sure that you have at least a "windows" firewall set up on your wireless LAN connection. You can do so by clicking the right mouse key on the "wirelwss connection" icon on the bottom tool/status bar and selecting the "Change Windows Firewall settings" option (clicking the left mouse button on that option). This will open a window with the title " Windows Firewall". In this window select "On" button ( via left mouse button) and click OK. This will set the Windows Firewall on your connection and provide some form of protection.
Good luck!
ntknow
ntknow
8 Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 03:00
Hi Mandy,
WEP worked!!! The only wrong thing I said was to use 5 Hex charater WEP key. It turns out that DI-624 only uses a 10 Hex or 16 Hex WEP key. As such, try using a "numerical" string of 10 Hex character WEP key on the DI-624 and set the same key on the wireless adaptor on your PC with the procedure that I sent out earlier.
I feel so good!!
ntknow
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 15:00
i thought 128bit required a 26 character key? maybe i'm wrong, maybe that's been my problem all along.
mandy
ntknow
8 Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 15:00
Hi Mandy,
Yes, that's the 64-bit WEP. You can try the 128-bit WEP by typing 16 Hex numeric string (alphanumeric should work according to D-Link but I am happy with a numeric string, now that I know it works) in the procedure. I don't know the diff between WEP and WPA but I don't know if MS provides the option to set a WPA option on their adaptor (I didn't see one when I was setting the WEP key on the adaptor).
ntknow
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 15:00
that's great ntknow! i will try when i get home. btw, how did you get the setup for the router to work with only a 10hex key? is that the 64bit encryption? i would like to use the 128. also, did dell say how to get the WPA encryption to work? That's better encryption isn't it? What's the difference?
Thanks for calling them. I was on the phone all night with dell cause I got hte dreaded blue screen last night. When we fixed that he said he wasn't trained in wireless so i'd have to call a different person. That was after beign on the phone for 2 hours so I wasn't calling back! haha....
mandy
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 21:00
128-bit WEP requires a 26 HEX digit key. That's four bits for each digit, or a total of 104 bits. The other 24 bits come from the "initialization vector" which is generated by the router. HEX digits can have the values 0 through 9 and A through F.
Here's an article I found discussing wireless security and the differences between WEP and WPA. It's not highly technical, but provides a good overview of the issues.
Jim
johnallg
2 Intern
•
7.3K Posts
0
September 28th, 2004 23:00
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 29th, 2004 14:00
Thank you everyone for your help. I am still having trouble however. When I set up WEP on the desktop (the computer connected wired to the router) with a 26 character key, and I set it up on the laptop (connected wirelessly) it does connect. HOWEVER, every 10 min or so it will disconnect and a few minutes later it will connect again. If I try to set up WPA with or without PSK my laptop will not connect at all. So you see, i'm still having the same problems as I did in my orginal post. The only way I can get my laptop to stay connected to the router is thru open with no encryption whatsoever. I am not far from the router, only in the next room so that shouldn't be an issue.
Also, reading that article I would like to set up the router so that it only accepts the MAC address of my laptop. How do I find out what my MAC address is for my laptop. I think I have figured out where to input this for my router settings.
One more thing, I notice my IP addy for my laptop starts the same as the router address. I assume this is normal. Does the desktop (which is connect wired) need to have it's IP addy with the same start numbers as well? It is completly different. And if so, how do I change it?
Maybe I am missing some big step here that would make this all work. It was supposed to be easy! lol
Mandy
mandy3
74 Posts
0
September 30th, 2004 16:00