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nostradamus-five 0 Newbie Poster

Hello people

I now have 3 strands of hair left after trying to sort out the wireless network at home.

Router: Netgear MR814 v3
Laptop adaptor: Intel PRO/wireless 2200BG Network Connection

I was sitting pretty doing bits and bobs and the wife brought home her laptop from work, and she says to me, "the net isn't working through wireless."

So I set it up (as I didn't need to before as I have Ethernet, which plugged straight into the cable box) and it worked fine on my PC and on hers without WEP.

We need WEP as I'm in London and it's very urban with lots of people around trying to steal some bandwidth! So, I thought it would be good to set it up. No joy at all.

The laptop sees the router, and it doesn't connect. The router window looks like this:

Security Options
Disable
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key)

Security Encryption (WEP)
Authentication Type: AutomaticOpen SystemShared Key
Encryption Strength: Disable64bit128bit

Security Encryption (WEP) Key
Passphrase:
Key 1: LONG LONG CHARACTERS
Key 2: LONG LONG CHARACTERS
Key 3: LONG LONG CHARACTERS
Key 4: LONG LONG CHARACTERS

I have it set to 128bit and I setup the passphrase. I assume you type in the Key1 into the pass for the laptop? No luck.

I really want to learn about this technology, so please can you help me? I will then pass the knowledge on to others!

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Dani AI

Generated

For : since the laptop connects with WEP off but fails once WEP is enabled, the issue is almost always a key-format or authentication-mode mismatch rather than radio range or SSID problems. WEP 128-bit uses a 104-bit secret (provided as either 13 ASCII characters or 26 hexadecimal digits). Netgear's passphrase generates Key1..Key4; the client must use the exact key value and the same key index.

Try these steps:

  1. On the router pick WEP 128-bit, then either type a 13-character ASCII key yourself or use the router passphrase and note the generated Key1.
  2. On the laptop enter the exact Key1 value shown by the router. If Key1 is 26 hex characters enter them as a single continuous string (0-9, A-F). No spaces or extra punctuation.
  3. Make sure the client is set to use key index 1 (Key 1). Many clients need the index to match the router.
  4. Set Authentication to Open System (not Shared Key). "Automatic" can confuse older drivers.
  5. Apply, reboot the router and the laptop wireless, then reconnect.
  6. If problems persist, update the Intel PRO/wireless 2200BG driver and router firmware, and consider switching to WPA-PSK if the adapter/driver support it (WPA is far more reliable and secure than WEP).

Note: WEP is insecure; where possible move to WPA. If the adapter still will not authenticate after matching key format and index, the next diagnostic steps are driver/utility differences (Windows zero-config vs Intel PROSet) and firmware versions.

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