does encryption cause intermittent connection?

Hi all:
I have two Netgear MR814 V1 and one USRobotics URS8054. The two Netgear
routers never worked well with encryption. The connections between the
router and the laptop keeps going on and off, and is so frustrating. if i
turn encryption off, it works fine.
The USRobotics used to work well with encryption, but one day, it started
doing the same thing as with the Netgear (intermittent connection). so i
removed the encryption and now it works well.

The question is: is this a common problem with most routers?
Is there anything i can do to fix this problem?

If i can't fix the problem, is there any risk of using online banking or
providing credit card information over an unencrypted wireless connection
(even though the page accessed is https)?
the only security measure takes in limiting access by mac address (is this
better than nothing?)

thanks for any help.
hilz

hilz wrote:

>Hi all:
>I have two Netgear MR814 V1 and one USRobotics URS8054. The two Netgear
>routers never worked well with encryption. The connections between the
>router and the laptop keeps going on and off, and is so frustrating. if i
>turn encryption off, it works fine.
>The USRobotics used to work well with encryption, but one day, it started
>doing the same thing as with the Netgear (intermittent connection). so i
>removed the encryption and now it works well.
>
>The question is: is this a common problem with most routers?
>Is there anything i can do to fix this problem?
>
>If i can't fix the problem, is there any risk of using online banking or
>providing credit card information over an unencrypted wireless connection
>(even though the page accessed is https)?
>the only security measure takes in limiting access by mac address (is this
>better than nothing?)
>
>thanks for any help.
>hilz
>
>
>
>
I haven't used routers with built in WiFi, but at one site I'm using a
netgear access point with WEP encryption and at another site a linksys
access point using WPA encryption. No porblems.

An intermittent connection probably has some other cause -- weak signal,
etc.

"hilz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>The USRobotics used to work well with encryption, but one day, it started
>doing the same thing as with the Netgear (intermittent connection). so i
>removed the encryption and now it works well.

When you say "encryption", do you mean WEP64, WEP128, WPA, or
something else? I've had problems with WPA in certain circumstances
that go away when reverting to WEP128.

>If i can't fix the problem, is there any risk of using online banking or
>providing credit card information over an unencrypted wireless connection
>(even though the page accessed is https)?

The HTTPS will secure your data, but you really need to encrypt the
link.

>the only security measure takes in limiting access by mac address (is this
>better than nothing?)

Yes, it's better than nothing, but not a lot. Update the firmware on
your router, change the channel, turn off interfering devices, etc...

On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 18:44:49 -0500, "hilz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have two Netgear MR814 V1 and one USRobotics URS8054. The two Netgear
>routers never worked well with encryption. The connections between the
>router and the laptop keeps going on and off, and is so frustrating. if i
>turn encryption off, it works fine.

>The USRobotics used to work well with encryption, but one day, it started
>doing the same thing as with the Netgear (intermittent connection). so i
>removed the encryption and now it works well.
>
>The question is: is this a common problem with most routers?
>Is there anything i can do to fix this problem?

If your client computahs are running Windoze XP, please turn OFF the
802.1x authentication and the disconnects should cease.

>If i can't fix the problem, is there any risk of using online banking or
>providing credit card information over an unencrypted wireless connection
>(even though the page accessed is https)?
>the only security measure takes in limiting access by mac address (is this
>better than nothing?)

SSL browser security isn't the greatest, but it's generally good
enough to prevent sniffing. However, all your other traffic will be
sniffable without encryption, leaving you open to identity theft,
password sniffing, and general havoc on your LAN. MAC security is
incredibly easy to circumvent is only useful to prevent "accidental"
connections for random client radios. I would make the effort to fix
WEP.

Incidentally, I have two MR814v1 routers at various customers running
WEP 128 without incident.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831.336.2558 voice http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
# (E-Mail Removed)
# 831.421.6491 digital_pager (E-Mail Removed) AE6KS