cannot connect to network with wpa/wep

tyros8000 · May 2, 2007

Hi,

I recently purchased my first mac (a macbook) and i am super pleased with it.

i have managed to get everything working apart from two things.

I cannot connect to my home network with wpa or wep protection. if it is open i can connect fine (only on the one i have tried, doesn't work with my other home network and wpa/wep doesn't work with either).

If i connect open everything is fine, i can file share with my windows computer and use the internet. but i cannot setup my printer which runs through a windows pc.

the windows computer is called redfern and the printer is called printer2 so would the location be \\REDFERN\Printer2??

Any help with the printer or getting encryption on the macbook working would be appreciated.

dave

cwa107 · May 2, 2007

tyros8000 said:
Hi,

I recently purchased my first mac (a macbook) and i am super pleased with it.

i have managed to get everything working apart from two things.

I cannot connect to my home network with wpa or wep protection. if it is open i can connect fine (only on the one i have tried, doesn't work with my other home network and wpa/wep doesn't work with either).

If i connect open everything is fine, i can file share with my windows computer and use the internet. but i cannot setup my printer which runs through a windows pc.

the windows computer is called redfern and the printer is called printer2 so would the location be \\REDFERN\Printer2??

Any help with the printer or getting encryption on the macbook working would be appreciated.

dave

You've got a couple of different problems there that I'd like to keep separate for right now. The one I'd like to focus on is the problem connecting to your wireless network when security (encryption) is turned on.

First off, let's forget about WEP. It's pretty much useless these days because it's easily cracked. To make matters worse, "passphrases" that some routers generate in place of the actual 26-digit key are proprietary and troubleshooting these problems can be very confusing.

So, to start troubleshooting, let's do the following:

1. Update your router's firmware to the latest version.
2. Update your Mac to the latest version by running Software Updates from the Apple menu.
3. Reset your modem to factory defaults (be sure you are comfortable with configuring your router before you do this). This is typically done by pressing and holding the reset button on the back of the unit for 30 seconds after plugging the power in.

Once the router is back up and configured to work with your modem, connect to it without security. Go into the configuration page and make sure that:

1. SSID broadcast is ENABLED.
2. Use a tool like AirPort Radar to ensure that your channel is set differently then any neighboring wireless networks.
3. Now, turn on WPA/PSK security and set a password.
4. Your Mac will likely become disconnected once this change is made. Click the wireless control icon (looks like a fan up by the clock), find your network name in the list and connect to it. You should be prompted for a password, be sure to use the same password that you set on your router.

If everything went well, you should now be connected using WPA security. If you have other machines on your wireless network, you will need to reconnect them and enter that same password for those machines.

Let us know how this works out - and if you have any problems/questions/concerns about any of the steps. Thanks.

Kilted1 · May 2, 2007

All very good advice.
I'd just like to add one thing. When I first installed my wireless router I managed to mess up the wpa code ..Let me explain. In the code I had "l" which I took for a small L but it was a large "I" and also "O" and "0" can be confusing so check the code carefully

tyros8000 · May 2, 2007

Hi, thanks for the quick reply.

I have tried two different routers for this and followed the instructions above. The mac finds the wifi and reconises has wpa, asks me for it. i type it in.

If it is incorrect it pops up saying password wrong bla bla bla

But if the password is correct it says "There was na error joining the AirPort network "NETWORK NAME"."

It has had the same error on wpa, wep and both routers of different brands.

cwa107 · May 2, 2007

tyros8000 said:
Hi, thanks for the quick reply.

I have tried two different routers for this and followed the instructions above. The mac finds the wifi and reconises has wpa, asks me for it. i type it in.

If it is incorrect it pops up saying password wrong bla bla bla

But if the password is correct it says "There was na error joining the AirPort network "NETWORK NAME"."

It has had the same error on wpa, wep and both routers of different brands.

Are you using WPA/PSK or WPA/TKIP?

tyros8000 · May 2, 2007

I honestly don't know, it just says WPA.

dtravis7 · May 2, 2007

What is the Brand and Model of your main router?

cwa107 · May 2, 2007

dtravis7 said:
What is the Brand and Model of your main router?

Good question - that should help immensely.

tyros8000 · May 3, 2007

actually i am not sure it will lol.

My one router is a median (they only ever did one and normally median use other peoples hardware).

my other is a orange livebox which is what comes with my internet - www.orange.co.uk

so suppose this doesn't help since they are not well known brands.

cwa107 · May 3, 2007

tyros8000 said:
actually i am not sure it will lol.

My one router is a median (they only ever did one and normally median use other peoples hardware).

my other is a orange livebox which is what comes with my internet - www.orange.co.uk

so suppose this doesn't help since they are not well known brands.

Oy.... you're not kidding. Could you find anything more obscure?

tyros8000 · May 3, 2007

on the one router when i login it has inventel in the title bar - http://www.inventel.com/en/product/

on the other (median one) it looks like complete custom software.

cwa107 · May 3, 2007

tyros8000 said:
on the one router when i login it has inventel in the title bar - http://www.inventel.com/en/product/

on the other (median one) it looks like complete custom software.

Interesting. One thought that I had regarding the WPA password that you set on the router. I do believe that password is case sensitive. It might seem silly, but are you entering the password on your Mac using the same case?

tyros8000 · May 3, 2007

yes i am, i will try and play with the settings more later on.