trying to connect to university wifi

Hello, I own a sitecom wireless card based on the rt2500 chipset. the
webpage for the driver is this:
http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

I have the manual from the univesrity that explains step by step how to
connect to the network. however, this manual is only valid for Windows
machines running XP. I have already checked my card that it's
compatible (802.11g) so that's not a problem. I have been able to scan
and see the network as a result, but i have never been able to connect.
I'm a registered student at the university so this is not for illegal
purposes.

ok, i will detail the steps from the manual so that if someone with
experience sees it, can help me out. I'm looking for any type of help.
I am aware of the tools available for linux, such as wpa_supplicant .
however, I don't know how to configure this even after reading the
man-page. I have tried several times but i just can't succeed. And now
with the introduction of the ieee80211 (i think, i forgot the name)
module in the 2.6.14 series kernel, I'm even more confused if I will
need to compile a module for my 2.6.12 kernel running on my system. is
this necessary? I'm asking because I have installed FreeBSD 6.0 on my
laptop, and it already has a lot of nice modules for wireless
networking that i hadn't seen in linux. i wasn't successful in FreeBSD
either by the way. i remember reading something about being able to set
the WPA settings but only if PEAP used. or something like that. i would
imagine that the wireless networking stuff is just a standard, so it
should work in linux too. only the driver of the card is the limiting
factor.

the manual states:
1.) Ensure the "USE Windows to configure my wireless network settings
check box is checked. (this is of course not relevant in linux, but i'm
still including it.)

----configure association properties----
2.) Make sure the SSID is set to "blah". (blah is just for safety, it's
actully something else).
3.) Select WEP.
4.) In the network key field, enter 26 numerical characters. it does
not matter which.
retype the same characters in the confirm network key field.

----configure authentication -----
5.) Ensure the "Enable IEEE 802.1x authentication for this network"
checkbox is checked.
6.) Select "Protected EAP (PEAP)" from the "EAP type:" dropdown menu.
7.) Uncheck the "Authentication as computer when computer information
is available" checkbox.

---- configure PEAP Properties ----
8.) Check the "Validate SErver certificate" checkbox
9.) Select "secured password (EAP-MSCHAP v2)" from the "Select
Authentication Method: " dropdown menu.

--- logon credentials---
click the configure button
10.) uncheck the checkbox in the window that opens.
11.)click "OK" three times to close all open windows.

-- connection properties ----
12.) you can see the "blah" network added to your preferred network
list.
13.) click "OK" to return to windows.

--- credentials entry dialog----
14.) A dialog bubble will appear in the system tray. click on it.
15.) enter your logon information the same way you would to log on
normally.

--- validate server certificate ----
16.) A screen will pop up with the information of the certificate used.
The root certification authority for the server's certificate is:
Verisign Trust Network (this is what appears on the screenshot)
17.) a connections is made.


Now i need to translate these steps over to linux. And yes, I included
the Windows-specific gui steps just in case it helps someone visualize
the steps and maybe it helps make it clearer.


[This information is made available through the university so i
think/hope that it's not illegal in any way or that it provides secure
information that shouldn't be public. I guess it's not because it's on
the university website. oh, and please don't state any criticism on the
university's network approach if you have any. i am in urgent need of
help and could do without those words filling up the topic space.]


Thanks for your help!

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> Hello, I own a sitecom wireless card based on the rt2500 chipset. the
> webpage for the driver is this:
> http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
>
> I have the manual from the univesrity that explains step by step how to
> connect to the network. however, this manual is only valid for Windows
> machines running XP. I have already checked my card that it's
> compatible (802.11g) so that's not a problem. I have been able to scan
> and see the network as a result, but i have never been able to connect.
> I'm a registered student at the university so this is not for illegal
> purposes.
>
> ok, i will detail the steps from the manual so that if someone with
> experience sees it, can help me out. I'm looking for any type of help.
> I am aware of the tools available for linux, such as wpa_supplicant .
> however, I don't know how to configure this even after reading the
> man-page. I have tried several times but i just can't succeed. And now
> with the introduction of the ieee80211 (i think, i forgot the name)
> module in the 2.6.14 series kernel, I'm even more confused if I will
> need to compile a module for my 2.6.12 kernel running on my system. is
> this necessary? I'm asking because I have installed FreeBSD 6.0 on my
> laptop, and it already has a lot of nice modules for wireless
> networking that i hadn't seen in linux. i wasn't successful in FreeBSD
> either by the way. i remember reading something about being able to set
> the WPA settings but only if PEAP used. or something like that. i would
> imagine that the wireless networking stuff is just a standard, so it
> should work in linux too. only the driver of the card is the limiting
> factor.
>
> the manual states:
> 1.) Ensure the "USE Windows to configure my wireless network settings
> check box is checked. (this is of course not relevant in linux, but i'm
> still including it.)
>
> ----configure association properties----
> 2.) Make sure the SSID is set to "blah". (blah is just for safety, it's
> actully something else).
> 3.) Select WEP.
> 4.) In the network key field, enter 26 numerical characters. it does
> not matter which.
> retype the same characters in the confirm network key field.
>
> ----configure authentication -----
> 5.) Ensure the "Enable IEEE 802.1x authentication for this network"
> checkbox is checked.
> 6.) Select "Protected EAP (PEAP)" from the "EAP type:" dropdown menu.
> 7.) Uncheck the "Authentication as computer when computer information
> is available" checkbox.
>
> ---- configure PEAP Properties ----
> 8.) Check the "Validate SErver certificate" checkbox
> 9.) Select "secured password (EAP-MSCHAP v2)" from the "Select
> Authentication Method: " dropdown menu.
>
> --- logon credentials---
> click the configure button
> 10.) uncheck the checkbox in the window that opens.
> 11.)click "OK" three times to close all open windows.
>
> -- connection properties ----
> 12.) you can see the "blah" network added to your preferred network
> list.
> 13.) click "OK" to return to windows.
>
> --- credentials entry dialog----
> 14.) A dialog bubble will appear in the system tray. click on it.
> 15.) enter your logon information the same way you would to log on
> normally.
>
> --- validate server certificate ----
> 16.) A screen will pop up with the information of the certificate used.
> The root certification authority for the server's certificate is:
> Verisign Trust Network (this is what appears on the screenshot)
> 17.) a connections is made.
>
>
> Now i need to translate these steps over to linux. And yes, I included
> the Windows-specific gui steps just in case it helps someone visualize
> the steps and maybe it helps make it clearer.
>
>
> [This information is made available through the university so i
> think/hope that it's not illegal in any way or that it provides secure
> information that shouldn't be public. I guess it's not because it's on
> the university website. oh, and please don't state any criticism on the
> university's network approach if you have any. i am in urgent need of
> help and could do without those words filling up the topic space.]
>
>
> Thanks for your help!
>

In the FAQ on the web pages of your driver is the following Q & A's:

Q. How can I get the wpa_supplicant to work with RT2400, RT2500 or RT2570?
A. wpa_supplicant is not supported for the old RT2400, RT2500 or RT2570 modules.
RT2400 only supports WEP, while RT2500 and RT2570 support WEP & WPA. All encryption is handled by
the driver itself.

Q. What encryption types are currently supported?
A. WEP128/64 for rt2400. WEP128/64 + WPAPSK for rt2500/2570.

Clearly, the driver does not support EAP methods. Your alternative is to see if ndiswrapper supports
your card. If it does, and the Windows driver supports EAP, then wpa_supplicant can be used.

Larry

Being an x-professor, I believe it would be easier to find a
Linux guru at the university, say in the computer support dept.
that could help you successfully get your laptop on their net.
If this is not possible, keep posting. You will end up learning
quite a bit along the way.

charles....

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ups.com...
> Hello, I own a sitecom wireless card based on the rt2500 chipset. the
> webpage for the driver is this:
> http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
>
> I have the manual from the univesrity that explains step by step how to
> connect to the network. however, this manual is only valid for Windows
> machines running XP. I have already checked my card that it's
> compatible (802.11g) so that's not a problem. I have been able to scan
> and see the network as a result, but i have never been able to connect.
> I'm a registered student at the university so this is not for illegal
> purposes.
>
> ok, i will detail the steps from the manual so that if someone with
> experience sees it, can help me out. I'm looking for any type of help.
> I am aware of the tools available for linux, such as wpa_supplicant .
> however, I don't know how to configure this even after reading the
> man-page. I have tried several times but i just can't succeed. And now
> with the introduction of the ieee80211 (i think, i forgot the name)
> module in the 2.6.14 series kernel, I'm even more confused if I will
> need to compile a module for my 2.6.12 kernel running on my system. is
> this necessary? I'm asking because I have installed FreeBSD 6.0 on my
> laptop, and it already has a lot of nice modules for wireless
> networking that i hadn't seen in linux. i wasn't successful in FreeBSD
> either by the way. i remember reading something about being able to set
> the WPA settings but only if PEAP used. or something like that. i would
> imagine that the wireless networking stuff is just a standard, so it
> should work in linux too. only the driver of the card is the limiting
> factor.
>
> the manual states:
> 1.) Ensure the "USE Windows to configure my wireless network settings
> check box is checked. (this is of course not relevant in linux, but i'm
> still including it.)
>
> ----configure association properties----
> 2.) Make sure the SSID is set to "blah". (blah is just for safety, it's
> actully something else).
> 3.) Select WEP.
> 4.) In the network key field, enter 26 numerical characters. it does
> not matter which.
> retype the same characters in the confirm network key field.
>
> ----configure authentication -----
> 5.) Ensure the "Enable IEEE 802.1x authentication for this network"
> checkbox is checked.
> 6.) Select "Protected EAP (PEAP)" from the "EAP type:" dropdown menu.
> 7.) Uncheck the "Authentication as computer when computer information
> is available" checkbox.
>
> ---- configure PEAP Properties ----
> 8.) Check the "Validate SErver certificate" checkbox
> 9.) Select "secured password (EAP-MSCHAP v2)" from the "Select
> Authentication Method: " dropdown menu.
>
> --- logon credentials---
> click the configure button
> 10.) uncheck the checkbox in the window that opens.
> 11.)click "OK" three times to close all open windows.
>
> -- connection properties ----
> 12.) you can see the "blah" network added to your preferred network
> list.
> 13.) click "OK" to return to windows.
>
> --- credentials entry dialog----
> 14.) A dialog bubble will appear in the system tray. click on it.
> 15.) enter your logon information the same way you would to log on
> normally.
>
> --- validate server certificate ----
> 16.) A screen will pop up with the information of the certificate used.
> The root certification authority for the server's certificate is:
> Verisign Trust Network (this is what appears on the screenshot)
> 17.) a connections is made.
>
>
> Now i need to translate these steps over to linux. And yes, I included
> the Windows-specific gui steps just in case it helps someone visualize
> the steps and maybe it helps make it clearer.
>
>
> [This information is made available through the university so i
> think/hope that it's not illegal in any way or that it provides secure
> information that shouldn't be public. I guess it's not because it's on
> the university website. oh, and please don't state any criticism on the
> university's network approach if you have any. i am in urgent need of
> help and could do without those words filling up the topic space.]
>
>
> Thanks for your help!
>

(E-Mail Removed) writes:

>Hello, I own a sitecom wireless card based on the rt2500 chipset. the
>webpage for the driver is this:
>http://rt2x00.serialmonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

>I have the manual from the univesrity that explains step by step how to
>connect to the network. however, this manual is only valid for Windows
>machines running XP. I have already checked my card that it's
>compatible (802.11g) so that's not a problem. I have been able to scan
>and see the network as a result, but i have never been able to connect.
>I'm a registered student at the university so this is not for illegal
>purposes.

So you ran
iwlist s
and saw the access points, is that right?



>ok, i will detail the steps from the manual so that if someone with
>experience sees it, can help me out. I'm looking for any type of help.
>I am aware of the tools available for linux, such as wpa_supplicant .

Only if it uses wpa. Does it? Can you connect without any security or must
you use security? Always best to test the simplest possible first.

>however, I don't know how to configure this even after reading the
>man-page. I have tried several times but i just can't succeed. And now
>with the introduction of the ieee80211 (i think, i forgot the name)
>module in the 2.6.14 series kernel, I'm even more confused if I will
>need to compile a module for my 2.6.12 kernel running on my system. is
>this necessary? I'm asking because I have installed FreeBSD 6.0 on my
>laptop, and it already has a lot of nice modules for wireless
>networking that i hadn't seen in linux. i wasn't successful in FreeBSD
>either by the way. i remember reading something about being able to set
>the WPA settings but only if PEAP used. or something like that. i would
>imagine that the wireless networking stuff is just a standard, so it
>should work in linux too. only the driver of the card is the limiting
>factor.

>the manual states:
>1.) Ensure the "USE Windows to configure my wireless network settings
>check box is checked. (this is of course not relevant in linux, but i'm
>still including it.)

>----configure association properties----
>2.) Make sure the SSID is set to "blah". (blah is just for safety, it's
>actully something else).
>3.) Select WEP.

OK, It does NOT use WPA. It uses WEP, and older, less secure, but better
supported, protocol

>4.) In the network key field, enter 26 numerical characters. it does
>not matter which.
>retype the same characters in the confirm network key field.

OK, these 26 alpha/numerical characters is the WEP key. You need to tell
your system to use WEP and eneter the key in the appropriate place.

In Mandrake/redhat this will be in the
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth1 (or ifcfg-wlan0, or whatever your
wireless card presents itself as.) file
WIRELESS_ENC_KEY=
line
Also the ESSID is in the
ESSID=
line


All right, the rest confuses me. It seems they have an additional layer,
and the use of MSCHAP2 is attrocious (a bad design and a proprietary
design).

Someone else will have to take over from here.


>----configure authentication -----
>5.) Ensure the "Enable IEEE 802.1x authentication for this network"
>checkbox is checked.
>6.) Select "Protected EAP (PEAP)" from the "EAP type:" dropdown menu.
>7.) Uncheck the "Authentication as computer when computer information
>is available" checkbox.

>---- configure PEAP Properties ----
>8.) Check the "Validate SErver certificate" checkbox
>9.) Select "secured password (EAP-MSCHAP v2)" from the "Select
>Authentication Method: " dropdown menu.

>--- logon credentials---
>click the configure button
>10.) uncheck the checkbox in the window that opens.
>11.)click "OK" three times to close all open windows.

>-- connection properties ----
>12.) you can see the "blah" network added to your preferred network
>list.
>13.) click "OK" to return to windows.

>--- credentials entry dialog----
>14.) A dialog bubble will appear in the system tray. click on it.
>15.) enter your logon information the same way you would to log on
>normally.

>--- validate server certificate ----
>16.) A screen will pop up with the information of the certificate used.
>The root certification authority for the server's certificate is:
>Verisign Trust Network (this is what appears on the screenshot)
>17.) a connections is made.


>Now i need to translate these steps over to linux. And yes, I included
>the Windows-specific gui steps just in case it helps someone visualize
>the steps and maybe it helps make it clearer.


>[This information is made available through the university so i
>think/hope that it's not illegal in any way or that it provides secure
>information that shouldn't be public. I guess it's not because it's on
>the university website. oh, and please don't state any criticism on the
>university's network approach if you have any. i am in urgent need of
>help and could do without those words filling up the topic space.]


>Thanks for your help!