wireless internet connection properties

Hello everyone,

I have recently installed a small wireless home network for my pc,
printer and laptop. Surprisingly it was easier than I thought to
install everything and it all works. However, due to my inexperience
and lack of knowledge I have a few questions about the way windows
handles wireless networks.

For info, I have a Topcom SKYR@CER WBR 7121gmr NAS router with built
in print server and USB ports. I read on the internet that WPA2
security is best so I set my router's browser page to WPA2-PSK with
AES encryption and broadcast SSID is disabled. Correct me if I'm wrong
but I used these settings since from what I have read this seems to be
the most secure.
Additionally, in my router's browser page I entered a 21 character
long pre shared key for logging onto the wireless network.

Today for some reason or another I could not connect wirelessly and
here's what I did:
- my router's SSID was NOT in the list of available networks, not even
after clicking refresh link. This, I figured, is due to the fact that
I have broadcast SSID DISABLED which makes my SSID invisible to
everyone.
- In "wireless network connection properties" I noticed that under
"network key" there are 8 dots iso the 21 characters I use to login.
So I entered here my 21 characters long pre shared key twice to
confirm and then clicked ok twice to close and save menus.
- Now apparently I was connected. In the list of available wireless
networks my SSID was still not visible though. So I clicked refresh
and there it was, with a note saying I was connected.
- Now, just to check, I went back to "wireless network connection
properties" and noticed that the network key box still contained 8
dots iso 21 which I do not understand. Even more, when I click
disconnect and confirm with "yes" and then click connect, a window
popped up giving 2 boxes with each 8 dots. I tested that I can connect
again just by clicking ok (8 dots in the box) and also by entering my
21 character long key which I do not understand either. When I enter a
wrong key however it did not connect as I anticipated.

Questions:
- So what explains the 8 dots in the network key box iso the 21
characters I use to connect?
- Could it be that if you have broadcast ssid disabled that you need
to have "connect when this network is in range" enabled? I noticed
that when I uncheck the box, I am disconnected from the network and
when I check it on again, I am reconnected. I also noticed that when I
click the disconnect button in the list of wireless networks, that the
"connect when this network is in range" box is unchecked automatically
until I am reconnected.
- In my router's browser page I also tried the setting WPA2 mixed and
noticed that this works too. Is mixed better than TKIP or AES? It
sounds better to me since it uses a mix of 2 different encryption
methods, correct me if I'm wrong though.

Thanks all for your help.

Alex

--
Remove the dross to contact me directly
"Alex" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:85529779-42c9-44a7-8f02-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hello everyone,
>
> I have recently installed a small wireless home network for my pc,
> printer and laptop. Surprisingly it was easier than I thought to
> install everything and it all works. However, due to my inexperience
> and lack of knowledge I have a few questions about the way windows
> handles wireless networks.
>
> For info, I have a Topcom SKYR@CER WBR 7121gmr NAS router with built
> in print server and USB ports. I read on the internet that WPA2
> security is best so I set my router's browser page to WPA2-PSK with
> AES encryption and broadcast SSID is disabled. Correct me if I'm wrong
> but I used these settings since from what I have read this seems to be
> the most secure.
> Additionally, in my router's browser page I entered a 21 character
> long pre shared key for logging onto the wireless network.
>
> Today for some reason or another I could not connect wirelessly and
> here's what I did:
> - my router's SSID was NOT in the list of available networks, not even
> after clicking refresh link. This, I figured, is due to the fact that
> I have broadcast SSID DISABLED which makes my SSID invisible to
> everyone.
> - In "wireless network connection properties" I noticed that under
> "network key" there are 8 dots iso the 21 characters I use to login.
> So I entered here my 21 characters long pre shared key twice to
> confirm and then clicked ok twice to close and save menus.
> - Now apparently I was connected. In the list of available wireless
> networks my SSID was still not visible though. So I clicked refresh
> and there it was, with a note saying I was connected.
> - Now, just to check, I went back to "wireless network connection
> properties" and noticed that the network key box still contained 8
> dots iso 21 which I do not understand. Even more, when I click
> disconnect and confirm with "yes" and then click connect, a window
> popped up giving 2 boxes with each 8 dots. I tested that I can connect
> again just by clicking ok (8 dots in the box) and also by entering my
> 21 character long key which I do not understand either. When I enter a
> wrong key however it did not connect as I anticipated.
>
> Questions:
> - So what explains the 8 dots in the network key box iso the 21
> characters I use to connect?
> - Could it be that if you have broadcast ssid disabled that you need
> to have "connect when this network is in range" enabled? I noticed
> that when I uncheck the box, I am disconnected from the network and
> when I check it on again, I am reconnected. I also noticed that when I
> click the disconnect button in the list of wireless networks, that the
> "connect when this network is in range" box is unchecked automatically
> until I am reconnected.
> - In my router's browser page I also tried the setting WPA2 mixed and
> noticed that this works too. Is mixed better than TKIP or AES? It
> sounds better to me since it uses a mix of 2 different encryption
> methods, correct me if I'm wrong though.
>
> Thanks all for your help.
>
> Alex

Hiding SSID is generally considered to have very little benefit as a
security measure. It also makes it more likely that a neighbour will
pick
the same channel for his network.

Some words on the subject here :

http://www.yby.org/Docs/The_myth_of_hiding%20SSIDs.htm

Eric

--
Remove the dross to contact me directly

Alex wrote:
>
> Questions:
> - So what explains the 8 dots in the network key box iso the 21
> characters I use to connect?

Its normal password security - if it showed 21, anyone would know your
password was 21 characters long. By always showing eight dots the true
length is unknown.

> - Could it be that if you have broadcast ssid disabled that you need
> to have "connect when this network is in range" enabled?

You need this enabled whether or not you have SSID hiding turned on.
Otherwise you will never connect to your network!

By the way SSID hiding isn't affecting anything except the list of
available networks you see in the network browser. Its not a security
feature.

> I noticed
> that when I uncheck the box, I am disconnected from the network and
> when I check it on again, I am reconnected.

The box is labelled "connect... when in range" - so of course unticking
it means "do not connect... when in range"... :-)

> I also noticed that when I
> click the disconnect button in the list of wireless networks, that the
> "connect when this network is in range" box is unchecked automatically
> until I am reconnected.

If the box didn't untick then the PC would be compelled to immediately
try to reconnect - but you just told it to disconnect.... so it is
obeying your instructions.

> - In my router's browser page I also tried the setting WPA2 mixed and
> noticed that this works too. Is mixed better than TKIP or AES?

No, its technically worse.

> It
> sounds better to me since it uses a mix of 2 different encryption
> methods, correct me if I'm wrong though.

Thats not what it means. It means "be backwards compatible with the
older and less secure WPA standard".

You should STFW for some of this information.