How do I locate the WPA Pre-Shared Key on Airportr Extreme (Snow Leopard) to configure USB Wifi adapter please. Cannot find it now matter what I try.
Thanks
MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007), Mac OS X (10.6.5)
Are you already using a Mac with that AirPort Extreme, and you just need to find out what it is, or are you trying to connect to an AirPort network you have not used before?
I have a 2006 macbook pro with a bad apirport card and would like to use a USB wifi adapter. When I try to configure it keeps asking for a WPA Pre-Shared key. I don't know what that is exactly, when I try to go to airport utility, base station that icon is inactive so will not allow me to go to manual setup where I thought I would find the WPA Pre-shared key (the lond hexidecimal set of numbers and letters that I need to configure the wifi adapter. My question still iss: Where or how to obtain that key from my Airport Extreme base station.
Snow Leopard on macbook pro 2006 model.
Thanks much
You cannot retrieve the password from the AirPort - not even if you could use AirPort Utility - but it should still be stored in your Keychain. If you "hard reset" the AirPort all its settings will be erased, and you would need to configure it again.
Read the following to determine how to retrieve your password from Keychain:
Your wireless network password is stored in your Mac's Keychain.
You must first have an Administrator account on a Mac that you use with that AirPort Extreme, one that is used to connect to your Airport Extreme network.
On that Mac, open the Utilities folder. Find Keychain Access and launch it.
In the search field at the upper right, type Airport. All the Keychain entries for your Extreme will appear there, as well as other entries.
Look at the column "Kind". The entry you want to select will be labeled "AirPort network password" (not "AirPort base station password" or anything else).
(See Note below though)
If you are trying to recover the AirPort Extreme Base Station password then the entry you want to select will be labeled "AirPort base station password" not "AirPort network password".
Double-click that, and in the window that appears check the box for "Show password".
You will get the following window:
In the Password field type your Mac's Administrator password - the same one you used to log in to that Mac.
Then, click Allow, and your wireless network password will appear in the "Show password" field:
Make note of it.
Close the window, then quit Keychain Access.
Note: The WPA Pre-shared key may not be called "AirPort Network Password". I never used one of those so I am not certain what name Keychain uses, but you ought to be able to find it in a manner similar to the above.
Thiss does nothing to help me find the WPA Pre-Shared key. It just shows my network password everywhere in keychain. I want the Base Station Password, A long hexidecimal set of numbers and letters...It is nowhere in keychain and I cannot accsss manual setup in Airport Utility,,,,the utility will not allow me to link to Base Station no matter what I try.
Nothing so far has helped.....any other suggestions appreciated. I am not looking for my password....I already know that.
Thanks
Temporarily, connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme to your Mac. Restart both the AirPort Extreme and the Mac.
Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click on the AirPort Extreme and then click Manual Setup
If you can do this, click on the Base Station menu item at the very top of the screen....(not the Base Station tab in the center of the window).
Click on Equivalent Network Password and your "key" will be revealed to you
edward1939 wrote:
I am not looking for my password....I already know that.
OK then, if you know your password and the AirPort's SSID you may be able to generate the PSK here:
http://www.wireshark.org/tools/wpa-psk.html
Try that.
Otherwise you will need to "hard reset" the Extreme.
Sorry, I mustd not be asking my qauestion correctly. I have already tried the Base Station on top of the Airport Utility. It is blank, no popup box, no information, no nothing....it does nothing, it does not work.
Thanks anyway, but looks like there is no answer here, I am sure that is what I need to do....however it dows not work as Base Station will not allow me to "click" on anything
I understood that you cannot use AirPort Utility.
Did you try that PSK generator?
I already did a hard reset of Airport Extreme. I already tried the PSK generator... I tried everything suggested, I still cannot find WPA pre-shared key to enter when requested. Without that I cannot configure my USB wifi adapter. Seems to be no answer.
Thanks much for the suggestions anyway.
I already did a hard reset of Airport Extreme.
When you do this, the AirPort is reset back to default settings. It provides a wireless network with a name like Apple Network xxxxxx, where the "x" could be either a letter or number.
This signal is for an "open" network. There is no security or password required, therefore there is no WEP "key" or "Equivalent Network Password".
Once you reconfigure the AirPort Exteme to assign a new wireless network name and wireless security, the WEP "key" will appear as I have noted above.....unless:
1) The AirPort Utility application is not performing correctly. Download and install AirPort Utility again.
2) The AirPort Extreme is not performing correctly. Try a Factory Default Reset to completely clear all stored settings and then reconfigure the AirPort Extreme again specifying the wireless network name, security and password that you want to use.
Post back if you want to troubleshoot this issue further.
I guess I am unable to explain this correctly....I do not need a WWEP key...I know that, my Airport connects my imac and iPad with no problem. When I try to configure a USB Wifi adapter...I get to a point where is asks for
a WPA Pre-shared key (a long hexidecimal set of numbers and letters) I do not have that information to put in the blank.....I have no WPA pre-shared key....I need to find that hexidecimal number to enter to configure the USB wifi adapter....without that number, I cannot configure the adapter. I have tried resetting Airport Extreme, it is working fine and my imac and ipad and ipad all connect to wireless with it. My wifi adapter will not because I need the WPA Pre-shared key to configure it. Where do I find that number please?
Disconnect and put the USB adapter aside for now. Same for the MacBook.
Can you connect to the AirPort Extreme from the iMac using wireless? If not, temporarily connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme to the iMac.
What operating system (Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion) is the iMac using?
Or, if you have already installed AirPort Utility on the iPad, we can use that if you prefer.
AirPort Utility for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store
I can connect everthing I have to my Airport Express...imac, ipod, ipad....everything connect with no problems. I am using Lion on this macbook that I am trying to configure to USB wifi adapter to. I cannot, cannot, configure with out WPA pre-shared key. I cannot explain this any better than I already have....I need that WPA pre-shared key in order to configure the wifi adapter....There is NO, repeat No problem with my airport extreme, it works perfectly...it cannot give me a WPA pre-shared key...it does not, apparently, have one to give to me, or if it does I do not know how to find it.
If you have followed the instructions that I have provided and the information does not appear, then you either have a defective copy of AirPort Utility or you have a defective AirPort Extreme.
I can locate the "key" using a MacBook, iMac or iPad with no difficulty.
Do you have AirPort Utility installed on the iPad? We could try it that way. 6 taps will find the "key", assuming the AirPort Extreme is operating correctly..
To get this info. Go to the AirPort Utility. Open it and click on "your" AirPort Express-Edit to open the options. Once that is open go up to the menu bar and click on Base Station-Show Passwords. The WPA Pre-Shared Key will show up. Thats It!
How or where do I find WPA Pre-shared Key on Airport Extreme base station
