options are greyed out when configuring a wireless source

This is on a laptop running Windows XP SP3.

I set up 3 access points for staff use authenticating to the server (SBS
2003 Premium SP1) using RADIUS. and client authentication is set to
WPA2-PSK.

The problem is with the Network Connections > Wireless Network Connection >
Configure (wireless card) > Wireless Networks. When I select a wireless
SSID and select Properties > Association tab, I can select WPA2-PSK from the
drop-down, but the spaces for the Network Key are greyed out. When I close
out and go back in, the authentication type "defaults" back to WPA, AES. It
won't "stick". I've tried deleting the SSID's and then selecting Add, but I
get the same results.

What am I missing?
--
Mike Webb
Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.
a conservation non-profit (501 (c)(3)) organization
Wood River, NE

Hi Mike,

I take it that you got the wireless bridge to work between the buildings
that we talked about last year or year and a half ago?

For the current situation, I have to guess a little since I can't see what
you have.

I see no point at all in user authentication and RADIUS. The user can
authenticate after they connect to the WAP,...they don't need to
authenticate in order to connect to the WAP. I know some may disagree, but
there are some things that just needlessly over complicate things and are
over-kill,...and that is one of them to me.

All variations of WPA do a good job,...and face it,...the WAP's signal is
about useless beyond 150 feet anyway,...and if I remmeber correctly your
buildings are kind of out in the middle of no-where. If you see someone
parked outside the building in a car with a pringles can pointed at you just
go beat the snot out of them,..it works great as a security measure and they
don't usually come back.

Just choose one of the variations of WPA that all the pieces of equipment
can agree on and work properly with. Not all models and not all brands
handle the variations equally.

I get by just fine with WPA-Personal with TKIP encryption and there are a
couple other variations equally easy to setup. Jack (MVP-Networking), in
this group, often posts a list of these in there order of strength that you
can choose from.


--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------


"Mike in Nebraska" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> This is on a laptop running Windows XP SP3.
>
> I set up 3 access points for staff use authenticating to the server (SBS
> 2003 Premium SP1) using RADIUS. and client authentication is set to
> WPA2-PSK.
>
> The problem is with the Network Connections > Wireless Network Connection
> > Configure (wireless card) > Wireless Networks. When I select a wireless
> SSID and select Properties > Association tab, I can select WPA2-PSK from
> the drop-down, but the spaces for the Network Key are greyed out. When I
> close out and go back in, the authentication type "defaults" back to WPA,
> AES. It won't "stick". I've tried deleting the SSID's and then selecting
> Add, but I get the same results.
>
> What am I missing?
> --
> Mike Webb
> Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.
> a conservation non-profit (501 (c)(3)) organization
> Wood River, NE
>

Well, I THOUGHT I had it all worked out. Got a document from a website by
Owen Williams (MVP), off the microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs newsgroup,
on how to set up secure wireless for a SBS network.

I've got 5 AP's setup for visitors, bridged via "WDS with AP" mode, in all
buildings, and 3 AP's, also in "WDS with AP" mode, only in this building for
staff use. I've got plain WPA on the visitors SSID's, but stronger WPA2 for
the staff (since I'm the guy who sets them up - and it's only 4 laptops, at
this time.) I used a cross-over cable from my wireless router to handle the
visitors AP's, and the staff AP's are wired right into the switch & LAN.
Unfortunately, nothing works. I'm back-tracking this week since everyone's
on Oregon for a week-long conference -- leaving me the time to break this
down to the essentials and put it back together one step at a time to see
where the problem is.

Just seems odd that I can't do anything with the wireless NIC. Maybe I
should just ignore this problem and move on by starting over from the basics
before I add "complications".

Thanks for weighing in.
Mike


"Phillip Windell" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi Mike,
>
> I take it that you got the wireless bridge to work between the buildings
> that we talked about last year or year and a half ago?
>
> For the current situation, I have to guess a little since I can't see what
> you have.
>
> I see no point at all in user authentication and RADIUS. The user can
> authenticate after they connect to the WAP,...they don't need to
> authenticate in order to connect to the WAP. I know some may disagree,
> but there are some things that just needlessly over complicate things and
> are over-kill,...and that is one of them to me.
>
> All variations of WPA do a good job,...and face it,...the WAP's signal is
> about useless beyond 150 feet anyway,...and if I remmeber correctly your
> buildings are kind of out in the middle of no-where. If you see someone
> parked outside the building in a car with a pringles can pointed at you
> just go beat the snot out of them,..it works great as a security measure
> and they don't usually come back.
>
> Just choose one of the variations of WPA that all the pieces of equipment
> can agree on and work properly with. Not all models and not all brands
> handle the variations equally.
>
> I get by just fine with WPA-Personal with TKIP encryption and there are a
> couple other variations equally easy to setup. Jack (MVP-Networking), in
> this group, often posts a list of these in there order of strength that
> you can choose from.
>
>
> --
> Phillip Windell
> www.wandtv.com
>
> The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or
> Microsoft,
> or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
>
> "Mike in Nebraska" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> This is on a laptop running Windows XP SP3.
>>
>> I set up 3 access points for staff use authenticating to the server (SBS
>> 2003 Premium SP1) using RADIUS. and client authentication is set to
>> WPA2-PSK.
>>
>> The problem is with the Network Connections > Wireless Network Connection
>> > Configure (wireless card) > Wireless Networks. When I select a
>> wireless SSID and select Properties > Association tab, I can select
>> WPA2-PSK from the drop-down, but the spaces for the Network Key are
>> greyed out. When I close out and go back in, the authentication type
>> "defaults" back to WPA, AES. It won't "stick". I've tried deleting the
>> SSID's and then selecting Add, but I get the same results.
>>
>> What am I missing?
>> --
>> Mike Webb
>> Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.
>> a conservation non-profit (501 (c)(3)) organization
>> Wood River, NE
>>
>
>

"Mike in Nebraska" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Well, I THOUGHT I had it all worked out. Got a document from a website by
> Owen Williams (MVP), off the microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs
> newsgroup, on how to set up secure wireless for a SBS network.

All you have to do is secure the radio signal comming from the WAPs and the
WRT. SBS is irrelevant,..it could just as easily be a network of Linux
machines, it just doesn't really matter.

I consider any variation of WPA to be strong (some just stronger than
others). It is WEP and using "nothing" that are weak.

Remember that securing the radio signal is the equivalent of keeping people
from plugging a laptop into a wall jack without you knowing it. Any other
security beyond that has nothing to do with the wireless part of it.


--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------