Help? Cannot get WEP enabled wifi on new Acer Aspire notebook and Linksys BEFW11S4

Hi all,

I just got a new Acer Aspire2000 notebook (and I love it) and was hoping to
connect it up to my existing home network via my router Linksys BEFW11S4 (no
version, the original one - version 1). Is it possible that the router is
too old to recognize the newer centrino Intel Pro Wireless Lan's WEP? I
thought all 802.11b would be compatible - are some not? I am beginning to
suspect that its either the router or my notebook. I've had this little
network working for several years with 2 computers hardwired ethernet, and
one notebook on wifi with 128bit WEP enabled. Now I want to add my new Acer
notebook (centrino) and I can't get the new notebook to get an IP from the
DCHP of the router. The notebook detects the presence of the network - and
my router assigns a IP according to the next available number in the DCHP
tables - but the WinXP on the Acer notebook refuses to accept or see it.
However, if I turn off WEP, then all the computers see each other and
everything is fine - as soon as I enable WEP, I loose the newer notebook.
Could the way WEP is implemented on the centrino side of things be slightly
incompatible with my old router's WEP? Help, I'm at wits end after 2 nights
of fiddling. The notebook's tech support was useless, as long as they
determined that the hardware was working, they were off the hook - no one
seems to support network configuration!

Please help.

The most likely problem is that the WEP modes are different (40 / 64 /
128 bit) or (and this is really the most likely cause) that you don't
have the encryption keys properly entered on the notebook to match those
on the router or access point.


William Cheng @work wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I just got a new Acer Aspire2000 notebook (and I love it) and was hoping to
> connect it up to my existing home network via my router Linksys BEFW11S4 (no
> version, the original one - version 1). Is it possible that the router is
> too old to recognize the newer centrino Intel Pro Wireless Lan's WEP? I
> thought all 802.11b would be compatible - are some not? I am beginning to
> suspect that its either the router or my notebook. I've had this little
> network working for several years with 2 computers hardwired ethernet, and
> one notebook on wifi with 128bit WEP enabled. Now I want to add my new Acer
> notebook (centrino) and I can't get the new notebook to get an IP from the
> DCHP of the router. The notebook detects the presence of the network - and
> my router assigns a IP according to the next available number in the DCHP
> tables - but the WinXP on the Acer notebook refuses to accept or see it.
> However, if I turn off WEP, then all the computers see each other and
> everything is fine - as soon as I enable WEP, I loose the newer notebook.
> Could the way WEP is implemented on the centrino side of things be slightly
> incompatible with my old router's WEP? Help, I'm at wits end after 2 nights
> of fiddling. The notebook's tech support was useless, as long as they
> determined that the hardware was working, they were off the hook - no one
> seems to support network configuration!
>
> Please help.
>
>

I was careful to set them all to 128bit (I used passphrase - I've kept my
passphrase to 13 characters which gives me a 104 bit hex key) However I
just read on the Linksys KB that they convert the passphrase to a hex key
(which I knew) but that some use a ascii key? I don't know what WinXP or my
centrino uses - I am just letting WinXP manage my wifi connection on the new
notebook. Under the properties>association tab, I get only to check off
Data encryption (WEP enabled) - and then enter network key - it doesn't
generate anything (only the linksys generates). I assume if I enter 5
characters, I get 64bit and if I enter 13 then I get 128bit?

"Barry Watzman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> The most likely problem is that the WEP modes are different (40 / 64 /
> 128 bit) or (and this is really the most likely cause) that you don't
> have the encryption keys properly entered on the notebook to match those
> on the router or access point.
>
>
> William Cheng @work wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I just got a new Acer Aspire2000 notebook (and I love it) and was hoping
to
> > connect it up to my existing home network via my router Linksys BEFW11S4
(no
> > version, the original one - version 1). Is it possible that the router
is
> > too old to recognize the newer centrino Intel Pro Wireless Lan's WEP? I
> > thought all 802.11b would be compatible - are some not? I am beginning
to
> > suspect that its either the router or my notebook. I've had this little
> > network working for several years with 2 computers hardwired ethernet,
and
> > one notebook on wifi with 128bit WEP enabled. Now I want to add my new
Acer
> > notebook (centrino) and I can't get the new notebook to get an IP from
the
> > DCHP of the router. The notebook detects the presence of the network -
and
> > my router assigns a IP according to the next available number in the
DCHP
> > tables - but the WinXP on the Acer notebook refuses to accept or see it.
> > However, if I turn off WEP, then all the computers see each other and
> > everything is fine - as soon as I enable WEP, I loose the newer
notebook.
> > Could the way WEP is implemented on the centrino side of things be
slightly
> > incompatible with my old router's WEP? Help, I'm at wits end after 2
nights
> > of fiddling. The notebook's tech support was useless, as long as they
> > determined that the hardware was working, they were off the hook - no
one
> > seems to support network configuration!
> >
> > Please help.
> >
> >
>

"William Cheng @work" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:PMA%b.9879$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> I was careful to set them all to 128bit (I used passphrase - I've kept my
> passphrase to 13 characters which gives me a 104 bit hex key) However I
> just read on the Linksys KB that they convert the passphrase to a hex key
> (which I knew) but that some use a ascii key? I don't know what WinXP or
my
> centrino uses - I am just letting WinXP manage my wifi connection on the
new
> notebook. Under the properties>association tab, I get only to check off
> Data encryption (WEP enabled) - and then enter network key - it doesn't
> generate anything (only the linksys generates). I assume if I enter 5
> characters, I get 64bit and if I enter 13 then I get 128bit?

I'm not a real expert on WEP but I would ditch your passphrases - I could
*almost* guarantee this is the problem. I do remember the reason I don't
use a passphrase is that I've read of various incompatibilities between
different equipment that may or may not translate them properly.

Just enter a proper 26 character 128 bit WEP key for both your router and
laptop. Make one up yourself. Don't use a random number generator; you'll
do better coming up with true randomness if you do it manually. Just make
sure you write the key down somewhere or store it in a password-protected
file on your machine. I'll bet this will solve your problem.

Jeff, I think we may have something here... what is the proper format for a
26 character key? Is there some place I can find this out. After scouring
some WinXP help files it states under network keys (in the WinXP properties,
I must specify the key length (40bits or 104bits - I guess 5 or 13
characters?), key format ASCII or Hex and key index. But there is only one
box for network key in the properties? Is there a 26 character key that
includes all three pieces of info in it so it can be inserted into the
single box?

Thanks,

"Jeff Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:t%H%b.23266$(E-Mail Removed) hlink.net...
> "William Cheng @work" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:PMA%b.9879$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> > I was careful to set them all to 128bit (I used passphrase - I've kept
my
> > passphrase to 13 characters which gives me a 104 bit hex key) However I
> > just read on the Linksys KB that they convert the passphrase to a hex
key
> > (which I knew) but that some use a ascii key? I don't know what WinXP
or
> my
> > centrino uses - I am just letting WinXP manage my wifi connection on the
> new
> > notebook. Under the properties>association tab, I get only to check off
> > Data encryption (WEP enabled) - and then enter network key - it doesn't
> > generate anything (only the linksys generates). I assume if I enter 5
> > characters, I get 64bit and if I enter 13 then I get 128bit?
>
> I'm not a real expert on WEP but I would ditch your passphrases - I could
> *almost* guarantee this is the problem. I do remember the reason I don't
> use a passphrase is that I've read of various incompatibilities between
> different equipment that may or may not translate them properly.
>
> Just enter a proper 26 character 128 bit WEP key for both your router and
> laptop. Make one up yourself. Don't use a random number generator;
you'll
> do better coming up with true randomness if you do it manually. Just make
> sure you write the key down somewhere or store it in a password-protected
> file on your machine. I'll bet this will solve your problem.
>
>

YAHH! we've got it!!

Thanks so much - its all up and running smoothly now. The problem was that
I was using the passphrase on all my Linksys stuff (their driver interface
converts it into a 26 character hex entry) but my new laptop uses WinXP to
manager its connections and WinXP willl only accept the 26 character hex
entry (although there is no documentation as to what format the Network Key
needs to be in). Once I pasted the 26 character generated key into WinXP on
the newer centrino notebook - it got connected!! The end to two nights of
misery...

Thanks all.

"William Cheng @work" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:r%K%b.6644$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Jeff, I think we may have something here... what is the proper format for
a
> 26 character key? Is there some place I can find this out. After
scouring
> some WinXP help files it states under network keys (in the WinXP
properties,
> I must specify the key length (40bits or 104bits - I guess 5 or 13
> characters?), key format ASCII or Hex and key index. But there is only
one
> box for network key in the properties? Is there a 26 character key that
> includes all three pieces of info in it so it can be inserted into the
> single box?
>
> Thanks,
>
> "Jeff Williams" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:t%H%b.23266$(E-Mail Removed) hlink.net...
> > "William Cheng @work" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:PMA%b.9879$(E-Mail Removed).. .
> > > I was careful to set them all to 128bit (I used passphrase - I've kept
> my
> > > passphrase to 13 characters which gives me a 104 bit hex key) However
I
> > > just read on the Linksys KB that they convert the passphrase to a hex
> key
> > > (which I knew) but that some use a ascii key? I don't know what WinXP
> or
> > my
> > > centrino uses - I am just letting WinXP manage my wifi connection on
the
> > new
> > > notebook. Under the properties>association tab, I get only to check
off
> > > Data encryption (WEP enabled) - and then enter network key - it
doesn't
> > > generate anything (only the linksys generates). I assume if I enter 5
> > > characters, I get 64bit and if I enter 13 then I get 128bit?
> >
> > I'm not a real expert on WEP but I would ditch your passphrases - I
could
> > *almost* guarantee this is the problem. I do remember the reason I
don't
> > use a passphrase is that I've read of various incompatibilities between
> > different equipment that may or may not translate them properly.
> >
> > Just enter a proper 26 character 128 bit WEP key for both your router
and
> > laptop. Make one up yourself. Don't use a random number generator;
> you'll
> > do better coming up with true randomness if you do it manually. Just
make
> > sure you write the key down somewhere or store it in a
password-protected
> > file on your machine. I'll bet this will solve your problem.
> >
> >
>
>