WEP, WPA and Windows XP/SP2

Question

WEP, WPA and Windows XP/SP2

Greetings all...a couple of issues...

I am told that WEP and Windows XP2 have some connectivity issues at times. Is this true ? I have tried to change teh security setting of the APX to WPA2 Personal, to enable the PC to connect (PC can't connect to internet, but can connect to network when it is set to WEP). When I set it to WPA then neither the G4 nor the PC connects.

Do I have to do anything else once I change the security settings on the ABS besides restarting ?

Thanks for the help !

Posted on Sep 27, 2005 5:33 PM

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Answer 1

Henry B.

Level 9

78,713 points

Sep 27, 2005 6:00 PM in response to Andrew Meadows

Many PCs don't currently support WPA2. Even plain WPA support is not universal - it requires the PC to have both WinXP Service Pack 2 installed along with drivers for the wireless interface that supports WPA.

For Macs the situation is also complicated. Plain WPA support requires a minimum of MacOS 10.3. WPA2 support requires at least MacOS 10.3 with the Airport 4.2 update installed and only works on Macs equipped with an Airport Extreme card.

WEP support will work on all Windows and Mac versions - the only problem being that on many PCs you need to use the hexadecimal format "network equivalent password" as reported by the Airport Admin Utility, rather than the alphanumeric password you original entered when you configured WEP security on the Airport Express.

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Answer 2

Sep 27, 2005 7:52 PM in response to Henry B.

mmmm..we have spoken about this before briefly but have not fixed the problem. I am trying to connect my PC, running Netgear card to the APX. It has previously been working until wife re-installed APX. Now it does not work.

I am assuming that when re-installing she has changed some settings, as previously I had the option in my Netgear software to connect via WPA, which I did via passworkd.

I have tried connecting via the info available via I-Felix (XP with SP2), however Netgear says to install via their configuration NOT Windows self configuration.

Currently security is set to 128 WEP (via AP Utility on Mac).

Also, Netgear icon (on PC) says I am connected to Network (via Hex code or Passphrase), but cannot get Internet access or access to ISP.

Finally, when I open Airport utility (on PC), there is no ABS listed nor does it pick one up on a re-scan.

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Answer 3

Henry B.

Level 9

78,713 points

Sep 27, 2005 8:02 PM in response to Andrew Meadows

Understood... and from all indications, it seems your PC has simply failed to establish an authenticated wireless connection with the Airport Express.

Plain "WPA Personal" (again, not WPA2) on the Airport Express should work just fine with your PC and its Netgear adapter given it seems to support WPA. The same alphanumeric passphrase on the Airport Express should work on the PC if you use WPA.

If it was working fine before, consider downgrading the firmware on the Airport Express to the previous version 6.1.1. The Mac version of the firmware installer is found at:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airportexpressfirmware611formacosx.html

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Answer 4

Sep 27, 2005 9:14 PM in response to Henry B.

Will try the option of changing saecurity to WPA Personal. From memory though this is not listed as one of te options (they were WPA2 personal, WPA (something else), WEP 128 and WEP 40.

My questions therefore are.....how does one change to straight WPA Personal, and once done and ABS restarted, what one needs to do to ensure the Mac still works fine.

You second option I can try but I am uneducated on the download and installationprocess on the Mac.

The one other thing you may be able to confirm with me is in the "Wireless Connection Properties" via Control Panel in the PC. I have 4 options, (including TCP/IP) and used to have 5. Further to this, when I set the option to "Obtain IP Address Automatically" I lose my connection to the wireless network. It is only when I put in a manual IP address ie: one digit from my wife's IP address does it regain a connection.

Confused now ?

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Answer 5

Henry B.

Level 9

78,713 points

Sep 27, 2005 10:06 PM in response to Andrew Meadows

The choice you are looking for in the Airport Admin Utility will simply read "WPA for home/small office".

Your PC should work when you select "obtain IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically".

Also - open the Network Connections control panel and delete all Network Bridges found there.

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