[LeeG]

Hey all, I just got a Netgear Wireless Bridge to connect my TiVo to my broadband connection, and I have been unable to get it to access my WEP-enabled 802.11b network.

I have now just a 'closed' network (you need to type in the network name to access it - it shouldn't just appear), and it works, but I have not been able to get it to work with WEP enabled.

I tried putting in the passphrase in the web-based netgear bridge setup, which I used my WEP password for, and then the web utility "calculated" a hex key, then I tried using the key listed under "password" in airport admin utility, but it gave me an error saying it was not 26 bytes (or something like that), are there 4 keys for airport basestations? or 1?

Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Can people sniff out closed networks, or am I secure 'enough' because no one would just be able to think up the name of my network?

thanks for any help,

Lee

[LeeG]

Well, I got some more info, here seems to be the problem...

This apple doc seems to shed light on the problem.

The password being given to me by the airport admin utility was only 10 hexadecimal chars, (not the 26 that the bridge was requiring for 128b encryption), then I read that the 'original' graphite stations only support 40b encryption - thus the 10 digit key.

So I will try to change the encryption on the bridge to 40bit, and it should take the hex password now, and 40bit is probably ok - I don't think there's a lot of hard core hackers jumpin into my network, I just don't want my neighbors stealing bandwidth...

But the access point I have is actually orinoco not true apple hardware - and it advertises 128bit, but I imagine the airport admin software thinks its a original base station, and only generates a 40b hex key....we'll see

Lee