Windows XP SP2 and WEP Encryption?

HumanCarbonUnit asks: "Here's a question for all of you XP SP2 users out there. When connecting to any WEP (64 or 128) encrypted wireless network the laptops connect but an IP address isn't given out and even with a static IP address, the internet is in-accessible. I have a Linksys WAP54G access point and an Airlink 101 Wireless router for connection and two laptops, a new Sony Vaio and an HP L2000 Special Edition. Both laptops are running Windows XP SP 2 fully updated including newest drivers. For a router, I have a Netgear FR114P that issues the IP addresses acts as gateway / DNS for the two wireless access points. When either wireless access point is un-encrypted or uses WPA encryption, the IP is assigned and everything works. So, Slashdot: what's up with Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Wireless WEP encryption?"

"FYI: There is no MAC address filtering and the WEP 64 key is 5 characters and the 128 key is 13 characters. I've tried the laptops in other WEP encrypted networks with the same results and I've tried other laptops on my network with same results. My Tivo and friends Windows 2000 latop both connect to the WEP encrypted network without any troubles and work just fine."

Disable windows wireless config utility

[ForestGrump]

Try using the wireless config utility that came with the nic instead.

Network connections -> click on the wlan nic-> properties->wirless networks->(uncheck) Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings.

Then go install the w2k drivers/config utility and use that for wireless config instead of the windows wireless netowrk wizard.

Grump.

http://support.microsoft.com/

[Anonymous Coward]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb; en-us;821442 [microsoft.com]

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Hold please...

[Anonymous Coward]

Grasshoppa, this may come as a surprise to you, but some of the very first "ask slashdot" questions were indeed of an "I have this problem" nature. That was before they even had logins though, and looooong before it was fashionable to bash slashdot for modpoints. *sighs*

Encryption Settings

[HunterZ]

It sounds like the encryption settings are wrong on the laptop end:
- First, make sure you're using the latest drivers for the Wi-Fi cards in the laptops.
- Make sure you've got a good signal from the router.
- Make sure you're using the same exact key as are the devices that are able to connect successfully. This is probably the most important thing to try. My guess is that you're either misunderstanding the configuration menus for your Wi-Fi card, or that you're confused about how WEP works. Note that some cards let you put in the passphrase and key number (I've seen this on Netgear cards), while some require the hexadecimal key itself (I've seen this on Linksys cards).
- If you're trying to use a confguration app that came with the card, try disabling it and using WinXP Wireless Zero-Point Configuration (or whatever it's called) instead. If you're using the WinXP config tool, try disabling it (in the services menu) and use the app that came with the card instead.
- Make sure you're using valid TCP/IP settings for the Wi-Fi cards. It's possible that they're trying to use a static IP on the wrong subnet, or trying to talk to the router at the wrong address, or something along those lines.
- Search Google to see if others are having similar issues. There's probably a hundred forum threads out there somewhere that cover this already.
- Call the tech support for the company that made your Wi-Fi cards and/or access point. While you're most likely to just be insulted and not find the solution, they might have something on their troubleshooting list that you didn't think of.

As others have mentioned, why are you trying to use WEP if WPA works? I'm guessing that some of your devices don't support the latter, but you should have mentioned that...

You could also turn off encryption and use MAC address restrictions to prevent unauthorized users from connecting to the network.

Lastly, to keep my karma balanced: why was this accepted by the editors? It's not interesting or challenging - it's just an everyday sort of IT problem that you have to bang your head on repeatedly until you find the solution.

XP WEP Algo Sux

[Jeagoss]

Try entering the 10 or 26 digit long HEX number when you are prompted for you WEP passphrase. This often works for me. It seems the XP Aglorithm for turning the passphrase into a hex passphrase doesn't quite work the way it is supposed to.

Re:Ethereal

[Creepy Crawler]

Wow, you really are inept.

If the hardware layer cant get a lock on the signal, the ethernet transport wont show anything (or better yet, requests for a DHCP address or broadcasts of services/MAC lookup).

I had this problem with Linux with wireless cards. Ethereal or other packet dumpers would NOT capture wireless frame information. Programs that would allow capture of frame information usually limited you to whatever bssid you were assigned to (in other words, you had to use a 'hack' to go AP or monitor mode, or rfmon as the wifi-ng group calls it).

Re:Good question.

[Baron_Yam]

I find I have a lot of rectal discomfort related to this issue if I use Windows to configure my wireless settings and use a passphrase.

1. If I'm connecting to an encrypted network for which I am supplied a passphrase, I use the utility that came with my card.
2. If I'm connecting using straight HEX, it works either way.

Re:WPA vs. WEP

[m_chan]

> As I understand it, preshared-key WPA is little or no more secure than WEP. It may depend upon your key.

WEP keys can be discovered by packet collection (one must collect a lot of packets, but once that's done there are tools that make the key discovery trivial) regardless of the complexity of the key.

WPA keys can be discovered with four collected packets and a brute force dictionary tool, if a weak passphrase is used.

WPA-PSK with a strong passphrase greater than 20 characters in length would be a difficult target for which to solve with currently available tools.

Here is a good short read [ciscopress.com] on the topic.

Tech Support at your service

[Grym]

Okay. The issue of whether or not this story should be posted aside, here goes:

1st order of business:

I have a Linksys WAP54G access point and an Airlink 101 Wireless router

Wait, why do you have two access points? FYI, wireless routers are access points. Furthermore, why do you have two routers? The WAP54G is a router as well. Take one of those devices back to the store and re-evaluate your network design. For clarity, here's how it should look:

Wall ---wire --- > Cable/DSL modem ---wire ---> Wireless Router --- magic --> Computer

I'm going to hope you weren't thinking that the two Airlink and Linksys devices were going to communicate with each other wirelessly just because they both had "802.11G" written on them...

2nd

Make sure that the wireless card on your laptop (or PCMCIA card) supports 802.11G and not 802.11B--THEY TWO ARE DIFFERENT. Don't assume that it is. Check, it could be the source of your problem. Who knows, maybe you're connecting to your neighbor's 802.11b WAP that DOES have MAC address filtering? Just check.

3rd

Save yourself a lot of trouble and work from least complex --> most complex

Order of business should be as follows:

1. Reset the settings on the router. (God knows what you've done here.)
2. Connect to the router via ethernet. Make sure it works.
3. Connect the modem to the router. Make sure it works.
4. Set up wireless connection on the router with the ONLY security feature being a unique SSID name. DO NOT use any personally identifiable information in the name.
5. Set up wireless network on the laptop. Make sure to use a static IP with the correct digits. Also, the primary DNS server IP should be the same as the gateway IP.
6. Connect to the wireless network.
7. Gradually introducing features, first on the router and then on your computer. I would suggest doing so in the following order:
   1. DHCP (optional)
   2. Enable WEP. (Or any other encryption scheme) Do not use the passphrase system on the linksys router software. That stuff is a gimmick. Just assign a hexadecimal password.
   3. Disable ESSID broadcast
   4. Wireless MAC address filtering. Get your MAC address from ipconfig NOT the back of the card.
8. If something goes wrong, ethernet back in and remove the setting that caused the problem.

Each of those steps should be simple enough that you can Google for the appropriate answers--unless of course the card/router is bad (I have run into this). Worse comes to worse, get a geek friend of yours to come over and set it up for you. Bribe him with a bag of Doritos or... *gasp*... pay him.

-Grym

Re:Flamed on slashdot

[Nasarius]

I really must ask, why so much flaming?

Because Slashdot is not the appropriate venue for such questions. There are a gazillion forums that are much better suited for tech support.