1. You are viewing our forum as a guest. For full access please Register. WindowsBBS.com is completely free, paid for by advertisers and donations.

I'm having trouble setting up WPA on my router

Discussion in 'Networking (Hardware & Software)' started by Frankd1, 2007/03/30.

  1. 2007/03/30
    Frankd1

    Frankd1 Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2007/03/29
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    I am trying to change the security settings on my wireless from WEP to WPA, the router is a Dlink WBR-1310
    These are the steps so far:
    - go to the router setup page and select internet setup wizard
    - launch wireless security set up wizard
    - follow the steps to name the network
    - select WPA option
    - enter wireless secutiy password (20 characters)
    - setup complete, it shows my SSID, encryption as WPA-PSK/TKIP, and pre-shared key which is the same as the original 20 character security password that i previously entered
    - then save, it finishes saving the settings and then returns to my settings page
    - when I check my wireless settings it shows WPA enabled, Cipher type: TKIP
    PSK/EAP: PSK, passphrase: dots, confirmed passphrase: dots

    now to my laptop (Inspiron 5100 with a Dell 1300WLAN mini-pci card)
    - network key: I entered the security password/pre-shared key from above.

    I now get a msg. that says network password needs to be 40 bits or 104 bits depending on your network configuration. This can be entered as 5 or 13 ascii characters or 10 or 26 hexadecimal.

    I called dell and they said the card in the laptop is WPA compatible (the computer is just over 3 years old) and I am running windows XP sp2

    Any suggestions?
     
    Frankd1,
    #1
  2. 2007/03/30
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

    Joined:
    2002/01/18
    Messages:
    9,072
    Likes Received:
    400
    Hopefully you are using Windows to manage the wifi connection and NOT the Dell wifi utility. You need to get rid of your existing wlan as it is setup for wep & create a new one w/ wpa. Go to "change order of preferred networks" and remove your wlan from the list. Then scan for available wlans and connect to yours. Enter the passkey.
     
    TonyT,
    #2


  3. to hide this advert.

  4. 2007/03/30
    Frankd1

    Frankd1 Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2007/03/29
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    TonyT,

    Thanks for the reponse! Ok, how do I determine if Windows is managing my wifi connection vs. the Dell wifi utility? Forgive my ignorance, I'm still new at this stuff but learning quickly.

    Just to make sure I'm clear on this:

    To get rid of my existing WEP Wlan, I disconnect on the laptop then from there remove the network using "change order of preferred networks "

    Go into my router settings and set up for WPA as I did above.

    Search for networks and connect to mine using my WPA passkey

    One thing I found odd is that when I set up the router for WEP and entered a password it generated the 26 character hex key, so I made several of these that I could change around every month. This makes sense.

    When I set up for WPA and entered my 20 character security password the program generated a pre-shared key that was the same as the password, for some reason I tought it would generate something totally different with a mix of numbers and letters as it did for WEP. (I guess I'm not fully up to speed on wpa protocol).
    This pre-shared key is what I enter when I connect to the network correct?

    Thanks again
     
    Frankd1,
    #3
  5. 2007/03/31
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

    Joined:
    2002/01/18
    Messages:
    9,072
    Likes Received:
    400
    setup WPA on AP using a wired computer (cat5).

    this is from memory cause I'm not running Windows right now:

    1. rt click My Network Places > select Properties
    2. rt click Wireless Connection > select Properties
    3. ensure there's a checkmark in 2 boxes at bottom of dialog window (display icon in taskbar)
    4. at top should be box w/ something like "let Windows manage my wifi connection ". Put check there. If "grayed out" then Dell is managing the connection. To disable the Dell manager:

    Go to Start button > Programs > Startup > delete the shortcut for Dell Wifi. Reboot. There may also be a registry value that loads the Dell client at boot at HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run. Start/Run > type: regedit (registry editor) & navigate to that location and if anything there for Dell you can delete the value in the right pane. (you can rt click any value and select Modify to see the path to the program, but don't alter anything.) If you never used regedit then be careful, don't delete anything you are unsure of. Also, to be safe, rt click the Run folder on left and select Export and save the exported file as Run.reg, which can be easily restored in the event you err.

    5. At reboot the Windows Wireless Zero Configuration service should auto start and the section "let Windows manage wifi" should now NOT be grayed out. Put a check there.
    6. Click on "view availabe wireless networks ".
    7. When scanning completes, click on "change order of preferred networks ".
    8. if your wlan is in the list, remove it.
    9. click on "view available nets in range ".
    10. after scan completes, try to connect to your wlan, enter passkey.
     
    Last edited: 2007/03/31
    TonyT,
    #4
  6. 2007/04/04
    Frankd1

    Frankd1 Inactive Thread Starter

    Joined:
    2007/03/29
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Well no luck! I went through everything again and ensured that windows is managing my wifi connection.
    I removed my network from my list and when I re-entered my key it still asked me for a 40bit or 104bit password which makes me wonder if the wireless card in my laptop is not set up for WPA.
    I will try and search to see if there are any driver updates.

    I think I am setting up the router itself correctly by following the steps through the setup wizard.
    The only thing that confuses me is when I enter the security password up to 20 characters for WPA the pre-shared key that is generated is exactly the same as the password but when I enter this to connect I get asked for the
    40bit or 104bit password.

    I then found a link from a thread from another member: https://www.grc.com/passwords

    Is this where I should be getting passkeys for WPA?
     
    Frankd1,
    #5
  7. 2007/04/05
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

    Joined:
    2002/01/18
    Messages:
    9,072
    Likes Received:
    400
    Updated driver for your mpci adapter:
    http://support.dell.com/support/dow...=5&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=5&fileid=191429

    Also, there are 3 versions of that router-ap. You could try getting the newest firmware for it:
    http://www.dlink.com/products/support.asp?pid=474&sec=0#firmware

    Setup the wifi in the router manually.
    On setup page in left menu select Wireless Settings
    In wireless security mode select:
    Enable WPA-Personal Wireless Security (enhanced)
    Cipher Type: TKIP
    PSK / EAP: PSK
    Passphrase: make one up & renter it
    example passphrase: 0+1+2=3toMe (no spaces)

    DLink router emulator: (router setup demo site)
    http://support.dlink.com/emulators/wbr1310/
     
    Last edited: 2007/04/05
    TonyT,
    #6

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...