NETGEAR WG311T Only Connects to Netgear Networks

Hi all,

I have a Netgear WG311T PCI card and Netgear's software installed. I'm
picking up about 4 networks from adjacant businesses at my apartment and
they are usually of the same signal strength (it's listed in %'s in the
netgear software), but no matter which signal is stronger it connects to the
one with a Netgear SSID (Netstumbler lists the vender as Netgear). Does this
have anything to do with software setting are possibly the Netgear firmware?

I also have noticed that it won't connect to a network that has Netgear
listed as the vender but does not have a SSID. Is this just a security
measure, i.e., can you actually connect to a network without a SSID. None of
these are encrypted and most of them are B except for the only one I
normally connect to which is G and has the NETGEAR SSID. No matter what I do
I can only connect to the one network.

Thanks for any help.

> can you actually connect to a network without a SSID

Some places dont broadcast their SSID, you have to know it and enter it
manually



"Jethro" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:65lfd.30141$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi all,
>
> I have a Netgear WG311T PCI card and Netgear's software installed. I'm
> picking up about 4 networks from adjacant businesses at my apartment and
> they are usually of the same signal strength (it's listed in %'s in the
> netgear software), but no matter which signal is stronger it connects to
the
> one with a Netgear SSID (Netstumbler lists the vender as Netgear). Does
this
> have anything to do with software setting are possibly the Netgear
firmware?
>
> I also have noticed that it won't connect to a network that has Netgear
> listed as the vender but does not have a SSID. Is this just a security
> measure, i.e., can you actually connect to a network without a SSID. None
of
> these are encrypted and most of them are B except for the only one I
> normally connect to which is G and has the NETGEAR SSID. No matter what I
do
> I can only connect to the one network.
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
>

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 05:16:50 GMT, "Jethro" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have a Netgear WG311T PCI card and Netgear's software installed. I'm
>picking up about 4 networks from adjacant businesses at my apartment and
>they are usually of the same signal strength (it's listed in %'s in the
>netgear software), but no matter which signal is stronger it connects to the
>one with a Netgear SSID (Netstumbler lists the vender as Netgear). Does this
>have anything to do with software setting are possibly the Netgear firmware?
>
>I also have noticed that it won't connect to a network that has Netgear
>listed as the vender but does not have a SSID. Is this just a security
>measure, i.e., can you actually connect to a network without a SSID. None of
>these are encrypted and most of them are B except for the only one I
>normally connect to which is G and has the NETGEAR SSID. No matter what I do
>I can only connect to the one network.

The WG311T should connect to any network from any vendor. If you use
the Netgear GUI it will always reconnect to the last one you
successfully connected to. If it won't connect to any of the others
then, but they are not encrypted, then it might be that they have MAC
address filtering enabled and you are therefore not authenticating
properly with that network.

I don't understand how you can even see a network which is not
broadcasting its SSID - Netstumber is not equipped with the ability to
see hidden networks. Unless that's not what you mean by "I also have
noticed that it won't connect to a network that has Netgear listed as
the vender but does not have a SSID" in which case I have no idea what
you mean.

I'm using NetStumbler 0.4.0 and it definately shows the Networks without
SSIDs. It just has their MAC address and then all the other stuff with
signal strength and the rest. The Netgear software bundled with the card
also shows the Networks without SSIDs. I thought you could connect to them
but according to the other reply I got I guess you can't. I tried entering
in just "Netgear" or "default" or the vender same of the other cards but I
guess I didn't understand that the SSID is a minor security measure. I
thought them not broadcasting it didn't mean anything or that I would get an
error message telling me to supply the SSID.

But the only software that I'm aware of that won't show Networks without
SSIDs is the native windows software which never shows it.





"Simon Pleasants" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 05:16:50 GMT, "Jethro" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >I have a Netgear WG311T PCI card and Netgear's software installed. I'm
> >picking up about 4 networks from adjacant businesses at my apartment and
> >they are usually of the same signal strength (it's listed in %'s in the
> >netgear software), but no matter which signal is stronger it connects to
the
> >one with a Netgear SSID (Netstumbler lists the vender as Netgear). Does
this
> >have anything to do with software setting are possibly the Netgear
firmware?
> >
> >I also have noticed that it won't connect to a network that has Netgear
> >listed as the vender but does not have a SSID. Is this just a security
> >measure, i.e., can you actually connect to a network without a SSID. None
of
> >these are encrypted and most of them are B except for the only one I
> >normally connect to which is G and has the NETGEAR SSID. No matter what I
do
> >I can only connect to the one network.
>
> The WG311T should connect to any network from any vendor. If you use
> the Netgear GUI it will always reconnect to the last one you
> successfully connected to. If it won't connect to any of the others
> then, but they are not encrypted, then it might be that they have MAC
> address filtering enabled and you are therefore not authenticating
> properly with that network.
>
> I don't understand how you can even see a network which is not
> broadcasting its SSID - Netstumber is not equipped with the ability to
> see hidden networks. Unless that's not what you mean by "I also have
> noticed that it won't connect to a network that has Netgear listed as
> the vender but does not have a SSID" in which case I have no idea what
> you mean.

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 16:01:53 GMT, "Jethro" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I'm using NetStumbler 0.4.0 and it definately shows the Networks without
>SSIDs. It just has their MAC address and then all the other stuff with
>signal strength and the rest. The Netgear software bundled with the card
>also shows the Networks without SSIDs. I thought you could connect to them
>but according to the other reply I got I guess you can't. I tried entering
>in just "Netgear" or "default" or the vender same of the other cards but I
>guess I didn't understand that the SSID is a minor security measure. I
>thought them not broadcasting it didn't mean anything or that I would get an
>error message telling me to supply the SSID.
>
>But the only software that I'm aware of that won't show Networks without
>SSIDs is the native windows software which never shows it.

I have the same version of NetStumbler and the documentations *says*
it cannot see networks which do not broadcast their SSID. That said,
it could be that in my area there aren't any which are not
broadcasting it.

I did read an article recently which said that spoofing access points
with Netstumbler was easy and demonstrated how it was possible to
generate literally hundreds of networks for it to detect which really
weren't there at all. Apparently WZC (under SP2) does a much better
job of detecting what is a viable possibility for connection.