Hello, friendly helpful people!
I have a specific problem with getting a WEP password to work for my new Macbook. (I also tend to be long-winded, very sorry!)
I have a Nintendo WiFi Max USB dongle for a wireless network. I have a WinXP desktop, and I want to connect the Macbook to a WEP-protected wireless network. The desktop is wired to the cable modem. I succeeded today in getting the Macbook to connect to the wireless network, without WEP being enabled. That's not ideal, but I can't figure out where in the "ZyDas Wireless LAN Configuration Tool" utility to figure out what the password is, how I can change it, and if I even got it to work if the Macbook would accept it.
Question: How do I set a WEP password for a WiFi Max dongle?
_____________Conciseness ends here_____________
Background: We haven't needed a wireless network for awhile. We got the dongle for the Wii, several months later, my husband got a WinXP laptop, and he successfully connected it to the dongle. He deployed, I shut down the needless (and less secure than wired) wireless network, was plenty happy with my WinXP desktop wired to the cable modem, until the hard drive started squealing about a week ago. Decided to go back to Mac (college Mac was pre-powerPC, ran ?7.5?, and I thought it was all that because it had a CD player and Netscape 1.0) ending my exile in Windows world through Win98 and WinXP because I refuse to go to Vista. I'll leave the desktop to serve as a relay for the Macbook as soon as I can figure out how to get the wireless network WEP-protected. Yes, WEP is horrible, but I only want to keep neighbors from accidentally using our connection (or piggybacking an open network on purpose- they'll have to spend two minutes to hack it first!)
In the ZD tool, it has two selections under "Mode:" "Access Point" and "Station". I don't know the difference, but under access point I got it to work. When I click "More Setting..." it brings up a box that has "General Connection Setting" options, "Wireless Mode" where I can select b+g, or b/g only, next the "Channel" which I assume is for the Wii? with 1-11 as options, the "SSID" which I gather is the name of the wireless network, and I can type in what I want there, a tick box for "Hide SSID" which I understand means that determined hackers can still find it, but that it won't necessarily show up in a list of available networks automatically, and "Tx Power" which has selections for Levels 0-3, with 0 being "Maximum" and 3 being "Minimum" power = signal transmission strength?
Under that are separate lines for "Authentication," with options for "Open system" or "Shared Key," next line is "WEP" with a "Setting..." box next to it (that brings up another screen) below that "Fragment," with a slider on it, another slider for "RTS/CDS", "Preamble" with choices of Long/Short, "MAC Address Filter" with Setting next to it which brings up another screen, and "Bridge adapter" which lets me select my cable modem.
Under "WEP" if I click the "Setting..." box it brings up "WEP Key Setting" and lets me choose "Key Length" of 64,128 or 256, next comes "Default Key ID" and I can pick #1-4, then "Key Format" for either "Hexadecimal" or "ASCII" and last "Key Value" and four boxes (that correspond to the 1-4 from Default Key ID above?) with stars in them that get longer if I change the "Key Length" and that I can type in if I want.
Is this WEP Key setting screen where I can change the password? Like I was a 5yo, exactly how do I do this? Am I completely wrong to zero on this screen, and does one instead set the WEP password with the native WinXP Network Connection Setup Wizard (haven't found it there, either)???
I'm happy to download any suggested freeware, as long as it is from a trusted source, but I'd rather not buy any new hardware, thank you.
I KNOW this can work, motnhs ago, connection to WinXP laptop with WEP-encryption was successful, today, connection to Macbook with open network was successful, husband deployed and can't remember WEP password exactly, and I've been unsuccessful finding anything online that's helpful (I don't want to connect this to a Wii or DS, don't really need it, husband can work that out once home if desired) and I've read weird stuff about Airport and WEP and putting dollar signs in front of passwords, tried that with best-guess password, after guess-word alone didn't work. Very frustrated with myself, the slow-as-molasses squealing HD desktop and the dongle software right now.
Please be gentle, and please help?
If you solve this, and give me a P.O. Box, I'll send you cookies!
I have a specific problem with getting a WEP password to work for my new Macbook. (I also tend to be long-winded, very sorry!)
I have a Nintendo WiFi Max USB dongle for a wireless network. I have a WinXP desktop, and I want to connect the Macbook to a WEP-protected wireless network. The desktop is wired to the cable modem. I succeeded today in getting the Macbook to connect to the wireless network, without WEP being enabled. That's not ideal, but I can't figure out where in the "ZyDas Wireless LAN Configuration Tool" utility to figure out what the password is, how I can change it, and if I even got it to work if the Macbook would accept it.
Question: How do I set a WEP password for a WiFi Max dongle?
_____________Conciseness ends here_____________
Background: We haven't needed a wireless network for awhile. We got the dongle for the Wii, several months later, my husband got a WinXP laptop, and he successfully connected it to the dongle. He deployed, I shut down the needless (and less secure than wired) wireless network, was plenty happy with my WinXP desktop wired to the cable modem, until the hard drive started squealing about a week ago. Decided to go back to Mac (college Mac was pre-powerPC, ran ?7.5?, and I thought it was all that because it had a CD player and Netscape 1.0) ending my exile in Windows world through Win98 and WinXP because I refuse to go to Vista. I'll leave the desktop to serve as a relay for the Macbook as soon as I can figure out how to get the wireless network WEP-protected. Yes, WEP is horrible, but I only want to keep neighbors from accidentally using our connection (or piggybacking an open network on purpose- they'll have to spend two minutes to hack it first!)
In the ZD tool, it has two selections under "Mode:" "Access Point" and "Station". I don't know the difference, but under access point I got it to work. When I click "More Setting..." it brings up a box that has "General Connection Setting" options, "Wireless Mode" where I can select b+g, or b/g only, next the "Channel" which I assume is for the Wii? with 1-11 as options, the "SSID" which I gather is the name of the wireless network, and I can type in what I want there, a tick box for "Hide SSID" which I understand means that determined hackers can still find it, but that it won't necessarily show up in a list of available networks automatically, and "Tx Power" which has selections for Levels 0-3, with 0 being "Maximum" and 3 being "Minimum" power = signal transmission strength?
Under that are separate lines for "Authentication," with options for "Open system" or "Shared Key," next line is "WEP" with a "Setting..." box next to it (that brings up another screen) below that "Fragment," with a slider on it, another slider for "RTS/CDS", "Preamble" with choices of Long/Short, "MAC Address Filter" with Setting next to it which brings up another screen, and "Bridge adapter" which lets me select my cable modem.
Under "WEP" if I click the "Setting..." box it brings up "WEP Key Setting" and lets me choose "Key Length" of 64,128 or 256, next comes "Default Key ID" and I can pick #1-4, then "Key Format" for either "Hexadecimal" or "ASCII" and last "Key Value" and four boxes (that correspond to the 1-4 from Default Key ID above?) with stars in them that get longer if I change the "Key Length" and that I can type in if I want.
Is this WEP Key setting screen where I can change the password? Like I was a 5yo, exactly how do I do this? Am I completely wrong to zero on this screen, and does one instead set the WEP password with the native WinXP Network Connection Setup Wizard (haven't found it there, either)???
I'm happy to download any suggested freeware, as long as it is from a trusted source, but I'd rather not buy any new hardware, thank you.
I KNOW this can work, motnhs ago, connection to WinXP laptop with WEP-encryption was successful, today, connection to Macbook with open network was successful, husband deployed and can't remember WEP password exactly, and I've been unsuccessful finding anything online that's helpful (I don't want to connect this to a Wii or DS, don't really need it, husband can work that out once home if desired) and I've read weird stuff about Airport and WEP and putting dollar signs in front of passwords, tried that with best-guess password, after guess-word alone didn't work. Very frustrated with myself, the slow-as-molasses squealing HD desktop and the dongle software right now.
Please be gentle, and please help?
If you solve this, and give me a P.O. Box, I'll send you cookies!