New wireless router probs.....how to get laptop to ask for PW? SOLVED!

EvilHorace · Post by **EvilHorace** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:48 pm

...So I bought a new Linksys WRT54G2 router today and I must say that "painless install" isn't my experience so far.

After jagging around, I finally got 2 of 3 laptops to work wireless. That'd be my work laptop (now at home being that they ruled "no personal computers allowed") that's fairly new running Vista Home Ed.

...and got my wife's newer Laptop running XP to work now too. (gaining.....)

My older laptop (also XP) isn't prompting me for a PW at all, just tries to connect and fails. I had that one at work before and I don't remember how I got to it but there was a way to get it to prompt me for a PW because it was required to connect there too.

Any ideas?

Key Keeper · Post by **Key Keeper** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:17 pm

Need to find the setting for "forget this network" or "delete this profile" then do a search and it should find you network and ask for key.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:29 am

Is this XP or Win2K, and are you using the WinXP Wifi manager or one that came with your Wifi NIC? More than likely if it's not prompting for a password your older laptop's Wifi NIC does not support WPA only WEP. You should download the latest driver to see if they added it.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:36 am

What security encryption are you using? If you are using WPA2 , the older laptop adapter may not have WPA2 capabilities. I ran into that before, had to just use WPA and if really old maybe even WEP.

EvilHorace · Post by **EvilHorace** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:23 am

The older laptop (maybe 3 yrs old) has built in Wifi. I'm using WPA2.

That laptop has previously asked me for a PW when at work and IF I could somehow get that to happen, it might connect.

I've been trying everything I can think of so far yet not gaining. It see's the network, tries to connect but w/o even asking me for a PW, there's no way it can connect.

Good thing I'm off all day tomorrow to play with it

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:04 am

Make sure you use a unique name to identify your wireless network. In the router Wireless settings change the SSID to something other than the default "Linksys". I usually recommend my clients use their initials and a 4 digit random number like RB1540.

The reason for this is that your laptop may already have another LINKSYS wireless network stored in it's settings with no password or a different password. It can't tell you're trying to connect to a different router.

You may also have another wireless network nearby with the name LINKSYS which can confuse the laptop. Additionally, using a unique SSID will make it easy to confirm you are indeed connect to your own wireless network and not someone else's.

If you are still having problems getting a password prompt even with a new SSID, then as Nitro said, if you're using WPA2 on the router then crank it down to WPA and see if the laptop will prompt for a password. If not then try WEP encryption on the router and try the laptop again.

If you can only connect with WEP then try downloading the latest driver for the laptop wireless card.

I am assuming your laptop can do at least WPA because your office should NOT be using WEP unless their IT guy is a clueless idiot, and anything made in the last 6 years should handle WPA. WEP is badly broken and with the right tools it can be cracked in seconds. No business should ever use WEP.

Now if you're forced to use WEP at home that's not necessarily all that bad. The chances that you happen to have someone living next door who knows how to crack WEP is unlikely, and no one is going to be interested in breaking into your network except for mooching Wifi. WEP is adequate to keep your neighbors from inadvertently connecting to your wifi. A business however needs to worry about getting their security breached.

You can also replace the laptop's wireless card (internal or external) for $50 or so.

Good luck.

ZYFER · Post by **ZYFER** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:37 pm

Also, make sure you have the WPA2 patch, there is a specific patch required to support WPA2 as well.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 5:47 pm

Pretty sure the patch was slipstreamed into SP2 but not 100% certain.

GuardianAsher · Post by **GuardianAsher** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:19 pm

The patch should have been slipstreamed into SP3. But I know I had several SP2 installs that weren't patched.

Also, I've had some problems with older cards not connecting to SP3 no matter what. If the hardware does not support WPA2, Windows can't connect, period, either with Windows Wi-Fi manager, or the companies.

EvilHorace · Post by **EvilHorace** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:57 pm

I have it hooked up wired for now until I figure it out.

The internal wifi card is an Atheros AR5001X+ and googling, seems like it's capable of doing WPA2. Still searching for a decent driver source............(assuming that's the problem?)

I also have a newer Linksys Wireless G Speedbooster external USB card that I originally bought for my old Toshiba laptop so it'd connect at work last summer and it did. If I can't get the internal one to work, that one should once I find and install the driver.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:04 pm

Did you make sure the router security was set for WPA, not WPA2, then make sure your wifi card was set to WPA.

I had this exact same problem Monday on a home network. The router was on WPA2 and the laptop was WPA. It drove me half crazy before I figured it out. I changed the router to WPA and problem solved.

EvilHorace · Post by **EvilHorace** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:41 pm

No, I havent yet tryed to see what I have to do to do that but I'd rather use WPA2 as it's more secure and the hardware is capable of using that too.

Still searching and see where many others have had the same problem (googled question) but no solved answers yet either

As for a patch for WPA2, I found that and tried installing too but the installer said that my service pack (SP3) had a newer version of that too so was included in SP3.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:59 pm

Type in 192.168.1.1 in URL bar. Go into wireless security tab and setup WPA.

I know you want WPA2, but first just try WPA. I am betting your wifi adapter can not do WPA2. At least get it working using WPA.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 8:50 am

Evil, WPA2 is not really that much more secure, and WPA is rock solid. Without getting technical the difference between the two is a supercomputer could brute force a random password in WPA in 100,000 years while it might take an extra dozen centuries for WPA2. Either way, no one is getting in. Just use a totally random encryption passphrase of more than 20 characters and no one will ever crack it before the heat-death of the universe.

Seriously, WPA is fine. Also WPA2 adds a lot of extra processing overhead which which affect performance on older laptops.

Just change the router to WPA Pre-Shared and you're good. That way you also don't need to worry about friends and family visiting with older equipment.

EvilHorace · Post by **EvilHorace** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:24 am

Well, that's not it (WPA). Does the same thing. It detects the wireless network (yes, has unique name and shown), click "connect", bar graph moves as it's trying to connect ("waiting for network") but it never asks me for a PW and then it stops trying.