WEP 128 bit hex key on linksys not working with my Mac

MBHockey · 07-29-2005, 07:29 AM

i'm at my girlfriend's because my power has been out for the last 2 days

anyway, she has a linksys router here with 128 bit hex security on it, and i cannot get my PB (10.4.2) to connect to it for the life of me.

i went to join the network on my PB, set the "wireless security" to WEP password...put in the passphrase that is in the router's config but that didn't work.

next from my PB i set the "wireless security" to WEP 40/128 bit hex...typed in the enormous string of characters in the router's config...double checked that it was input properly...but no go..."there was an error joining Linksys"

i read some stuff on the lack of uniformity in multi-platform environments...and it said if i just change the passphrase to a 13 character phrase that'll work...but i don't want to change it because her parents computers and hers are all set up using this setup...so is there a way for my PB to connect to this wireless network?

guardian34 · 07-29-2005, 08:51 AM

Are they using some sort of MAC-based access list? (My Netgear router calls it "Wireless Card Access List".)

MBHockey · 07-29-2005, 08:53 AM

nope, no mac address restriction

edalzell · 07-29-2005, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBHockey


	next from my PB i set the "wireless security" to WEP 40/128 bit hex...typed in the enormous string of characters in the router's config...double checked that it was input properly...but no go..."there was an error joining Linksys"

I think you have to put a '$' at the front of the key to make it work. Looking up the reason now.

Found it. Read about it here.

yellow · 07-29-2005, 09:27 AM

When you put in the passphrase, did you use the hexidecimal one?

styrafome · 07-29-2005, 10:44 AM

Don't know if this will help but my OLD powerbook g3 was getting that error (I hardly ever use it wireless anymore), and on my router it turns out I had turned off 802.11b, and the old G3 only does 802.11b. So check that, check for DCHP or IP address range lockouts, and try switching the preamble type.

MBHockey · 07-29-2005, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edalzell


	I think you have to put a '$' at the front of the key to make it work. Looking up the reason now. Found it. Read about it here.

tried that earlier, but it did not work because then the hex key was 27 char long

so i tried that but with deleting the last char but it didn't work (th OK button is greyed out if the key is not 26 or 10 char long)

Yellow...yea i'm sure

snowjay · 07-29-2005, 12:26 PM

I believe that it was Tiger that fixed the $ issue so it's not needed.

I used WEP/128 on a Linksys before I bought a new router that supported WPA and the plain text password definately didn't work. You had to use the hex key BUT on the Linksys you can use any length phrase to generate the key and I found that I had to use a phrase that was 13 characters and use that 26 character hex on the PB. So if your girlfriend used a phrase thats not the standard 13 characters for 128bit (or 5 for 64bit) keys then that may be the issue.

MBHockey · 07-29-2005, 12:31 PM

yea...look at the last paragraph of my original post...i was hoping there was a different way.

oh well...i'll deal

snowjay · 07-29-2005, 12:47 PM

Doh! Sorry, I don't know how I missed that. But yeah, thats the problem. If she has a switch, bring your access point from home and use that without disturbing her wireless settings.

You should get her to upgrade to WPA-PSK anyway.

MBHockey · 07-29-2005, 12:51 PM

no problem i appreciate the suggestion

07-29-2005, 07:29 AM	#1
MBHockey MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: New York Posts: 2,211	WEP 128 bit hex key on linksys not working with my Mac i'm at my girlfriend's because my power has been out for the last 2 days anyway, she has a linksys router here with 128 bit hex security on it, and i cannot get my PB (10.4.2) to connect to it for the life of me. i went to join the network on my PB, set the "wireless security" to WEP password...put in the passphrase that is in the router's config but that didn't work. next from my PB i set the "wireless security" to WEP 40/128 bit hex...typed in the enormous string of characters in the router's config...double checked that it was input properly...but no go..."there was an error joining Linksys" i read some stuff on the lack of uniformity in multi-platform environments...and it said if i just change the passphrase to a 13 character phrase that'll work...but i don't want to change it because her parents computers and hers are all set up using this setup...so is there a way for my PB to connect to this wireless network?

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07-29-2005, 08:51 AM	#2
guardian34 All Star Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 713	Are they using some sort of MAC-based access list? (My Netgear router calls it "Wireless Card Access List".)

07-29-2005, 08:53 AM	#3
MBHockey MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: New York Posts: 2,211	nope, no mac address restriction

07-29-2005, 09:27 AM	#5
yellow Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 10,677	When you put in the passphrase, did you use the hexidecimal one?

07-29-2005, 10:44 AM	#6
styrafome Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,818	Don't know if this will help but my OLD powerbook g3 was getting that error (I hardly ever use it wireless anymore), and on my router it turns out I had turned off 802.11b, and the old G3 only does 802.11b. So check that, check for DCHP or IP address range lockouts, and try switching the preamble type.

07-29-2005, 12:26 PM	#8
snowjay Triple-A Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 105	I believe that it was Tiger that fixed the $ issue so it's not needed. I used WEP/128 on a Linksys before I bought a new router that supported WPA and the plain text password definately didn't work. You had to use the hex key BUT on the Linksys you can use any length phrase to generate the key and I found that I had to use a phrase that was 13 characters and use that 26 character hex on the PB. So if your girlfriend used a phrase thats not the standard 13 characters for 128bit (or 5 for 64bit) keys then that may be the issue.

07-29-2005, 12:31 PM	#9
MBHockey MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: New York Posts: 2,211	yea...look at the last paragraph of my original post...i was hoping there was a different way. oh well...i'll deal

07-29-2005, 12:47 PM	#10
snowjay Triple-A Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 105	Doh! Sorry, I don't know how I missed that. But yeah, thats the problem. If she has a switch, bring your access point from home and use that without disturbing her wireless settings. You should get her to upgrade to WPA-PSK anyway.

07-29-2005, 12:51 PM	#11
MBHockey MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: New York Posts: 2,211	no problem i appreciate the suggestion