Belkin wireless G plus router

I have the same problem with my titanium powerbook. My wintel laptop works just fine but the powerbook cannot logon to the router.

Guys,

Forget anything checked before and start from the beginning assuming nothing.

If your Titanium Powerbook with Airport card (same as mine) can see the network, it's a start.
Check that the router is working in a "G & B" mode. The original airport card (like mine) works in 802.11b. The router needs to allow 802.11b clients to join.
Check that the router broadcasts its SSID, so you can detect the router in the Airport "Connect To..." or Connect/Other.... dialog.
Which version of the Mac OS are you using ?
The original Airport card only supports the 40/64 bit WEP encryption (with 3rd party routers). Or no encryption, which are you using ?
Try connecting with no encryption. On the Mac make sure you select "Other...." again and choose the network from the list. Make sure you select "None" for wireless security, it's likely that you have a previous attempt at the password in your keychain or similar if you just select the network from the Airport menu.
With 40/64 bit WEP encryption, you're asked to set the password on the router. How do you do this ? Do you use the "passphrase" box & button I seem to see a lot of on wireless routers ? It's pants, it won't generate a usable password for a Mac. Does your router let you key the password in hex ? 10 hex characters (= five ascii characters = 40 bit WEP encryption ) ? Tell us what options you have for setting a password ?
Belkin make dozens of wireless routers, which fo you have ? Exact model number please.
Is the router firmware up-to-date ? Belkin seem to have put up firmware updates for all their wireless routers about 3 weeks ago. Download these and see what they fix.

I have absolutely no trouble connecting my Titanium PBG4, with original Airport card, with OS9 & OSX 10.3.9 to any number of third party and Apple wireless routers. Where I have had issues in the past, it's always been incorrect configuration of the router (which I then fixed).

Guys,

Unfortunately I gave up and went and got a Linksys router today--WRT54G. Setup was not exactly a piece of cake--their install program is only windows, and my cable modem would only talk to my eMac, so I had to fiddle with it a little bit--but within a couple of hours I had my wintel laptop, my PB, and my emac all humming along the internet.

Check that the router is working in a "G & B" mode.
The original airport card (like mine) works in
802.11b. The router needs to allow 802.11b clients to
join.

The Belkin was model number F5D7231-4, its supposed to work in both B and G modes. I couldn't find where you could select one or the other so I presume it does either as needed.

Check that the router broadcasts its SSID, so you can
detect the router in the Airport "Connect To..." or
Connect/Other.... dialog.
Which version of the Mac OS are you using ?
The original Airport card only supports the 40/64 bit
WEP encryption (with 3rd party routers). Or no
encryption, which are you using ?

I got a sheet of paper with my original airport card that said that I could use 128 bit encryption if I put a $ in front of the generated hex password, which I did, but it didn't seem to take it

With 40/64 bit WEP encryption, you're asked to set
the password on the router. How do you do this ? Do
you use the "passphrase" box & button I seem to see a
lot of on wireless routers ?

Yup, that's just what I did!

It's pants, it won't

generate a usable password for a Mac. Does your
router let you key the password in hex ? 10 hex
characters (= five ascii characters = 40 bit WEP
encryption ) ? Tell us what options you have for
setting a password ?

The router supported 64 bit and 128 bit encryption, but not 40 bit.

Is the router firmware up-to-date ? Belkin seem to
have put up firmware updates for all their wireless
routers about 3 weeks ago. Download these and see
what they fix.

I did hit the "update firmware" icon, it came back with "no update available"

Where I have had issues in the

past, it's always been incorrect configuration of the
router (which I then fixed).

Thanks anyway, this was my first effort with a non-apple router, I suppose after a few I'll be more adept, but by then I'll have an apple extreme card that will be more up to date!

John,

Excellent, well you have a working internet setup now anyway. I admire your perseverence with the new box.

Do you still have the Belkin ? Judging by the manual, it's a pretty feature-rich router. These are always the hardest to set up correctly - the hardest wireless router I've had to set up is the Apple Airport Express Unit !! It offered SO much functionality, doing so many different things that it was hard work turning off all the ones I didn't want.

I think the original Airport card only offered 128 bit WEP with Apple routers (ABS, AEBS, AE). For third party routers, it was 40/64 bit WEP.

Apologies, 40 bit WEP and 64 bit WEP are the same. The password is 40 bits, which the standard then hashes up to 64 bits.

If you still have the Belkin, I've got the manual now and I could give step by step instructions to set it up, if you just wanted to show it who's boss !!