Secure wireless connection?

[Fatboy]

I'm getting a little bogged down in the configuration of my wireless network. The modem/router in question is a Belkin ADSL with Wireless G Router. I can connect to it quite happily when the security features are turned off, but I can't get my laptop to connect to the network when any kind of authentication is being used. I've tried it with WEP, WPA-PSK and a few others. Although the SSID and network key are the same as that which has been plumbed into the router, I can't connect. It gets even worse when I disable ESSID broadcasting - despite having all the correct names, passwords etc. my laptop doesn't even recognise there being any sort of network present.

Any ideas?

Cheers all.

[Jonny M]

Are you using Service Pack 2?

[Flash]

does your router only allow users once tha MAC address of the connecting pc card or pcmcia device has been provided

[Barry]

The WEP settings should allow you to setup a 68/128 bit secure connection

[Fatboy]

I am using service pack 2, but I'd have to check regarding the MAC adress. Regarding the 64/128 bit WEP, I have tried it with that but with similar (lack of) success. I only had limited time to play with it last night, so I'm going to have another look this evening to see if I can sort it.

[Paul Adams]

If MAC restrictions are in place then you would know as you'd have to put them in place manually - also this would affect you if you used encryption or not.

Is it that the AP is asking for a hex version of the passphrase for encryption, but you are entering a text version in Windows?
One of the web interfaces I have used on an AP was terrible - you typed in the plaintext passphrase and it converted & stored it as hex so you couldn't see it, then the supplicant on the client wanted you to enter the hex version!

Disabling SSID broadcasting causes problems and does not increase security, it's as useful as "stealthing" network ports (i.e. not at all).

[Nick]

I have Belkin wireless router, got mine up and running with few problems but here are some of the obvious ones that stopped it all being smoothey woothey.

Make sure that all the devices are trying to communicate on the same channel.

Broadcast SSID with no encryption and set up the WIFI network first, then encrypt afterwards.

Use the Belkin Hex generator for to give you a key from the router's set-up screens.

Pick which key to use (depending on your pass phrase, you might end up with a choice of 5 keys.

Use WEP 64 bit first, then when that works, try the others.

Lemme know how you get on, if needs be I'll have a look on my router's settings and see if I can help from there.

[Fatboy]

Cheers for that, Deckard. All the devices are on the same channel - originally it was 11 although it's on 5 at the moment (I figured I might as well!).

I was able to get them connected without SSID broadcast and encryption, problems were encountered when I was trying to encrypt it all.

As I said previously, I've only had limited "tinkering time", so hopefully I'll sort it.

[Nick]

No probs, I'll be home from 7ish onwards tonight, so you can grab me on MSN if you need to.

[Fatboy]

K, not sure what to make of this. Got my girlfriends laptop to hook up to the wireless network without any problems (I think that had a belkin internal card - the router is belking too) but its another story with my laptop. Its a Dell Inspiron 510m with the Dell WLAN 1450 Dual Band WLAN Mini-PCI Card. When I booted it up it all was fine, but now (having changed nothing) its a different story. It now says it isn't connected (despite having access to the internet through the router), and yet in the Wireless Connection Window, it gives me a "disconnect" button.

And then sometime later is does indeed completely disconnect you...only to reconnect and still not be connected etc. etc.

Is this a software issue or an incompatibility issue with the laptop wireless card?

Or am I missing something else entirely?

Any help is as always appreciated.

[Nick]

Ok, check the Tcp/ip properties for your card, make sure that stuff like ip addressing etc is all set to 'obtain automatically' so the router can assign it..then make sure you have no firewalls running as the router will be your firewall.

ANd over on the router side of things, set it to keep the connection open, not connect on demand.

[Fatboy]

I thought that the firewall was the most likely contender for it. I was a little dubious about turning it off, although as you say the router has a built in firewall too.

Regarding making sure ip bits are set to obtain automatically, I did try setting a static IP, and it connected no problems, and was showing as being connected .... and yet I couldn't access anything! I've put it back now, as I couldn't connect to my parents LAN with the static adress.

Anyhow, when I get back from work I'll give it a go disabling the firewall.

The connection is open not connect on demand so it shouldn't be a problem either.

[Nick]

Ok, I'll have a look at my set-up when I'm home tonight, what time are you likely to be around?

[Fatboy]

Bit of a busy one yesterday, never had the chance to look at it (or the forums - doh!).

Will do this evening though, should be around from 5ish onwards. Hopefully though disabling the firewall will help - failing that I'll have to have another look after the weekend - it's my stag do so I don't think I'm going to be all that coherent for a day or two!

[Nick]

Ok bud, catch me on MSN this evening, I'll be around and online as I'm building a PC for someone tonight, so I'll be sitting there puzzling over case connections anyway...

Will be online from 8pm ish

[Fatboy]

HA! Sorted it!

(Well, sorted it a while ago, reinstallng loads of stuff on the computer, so I've (to my shame) not been on here for a little while).