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killer_735 · Sep 11, 2003, 01:48 PM

So I have a network with two PCs an emac, and my powerbook. We use DHCP to distribute IP addys, and the network is currently not encrypted. The problems are as follows:

1. The PB can't pull an IP via airport unless I connect a cable to the ethernet jack, have it pull an ip that way, then unplug it and switch to using airport. I have to do this over every time my system restarts or I take it to class and leave the network. Is there perhaps some setting that needs to be played with that's only accessable via the terminal? The router is set to leave wi-fi wide open, so it seems that it's not the problem.

2. How can I use the encryption feature of the router with an airport card. I know there's a way......there must be, right? Right now it refuses to accept any password, and if I set up an access list with my mac address, the router stops talking to me altogether.

Solve the problem and win a place as senior networking engineer in the halls of Vallhala after they die. Me and Odin, we go way back.
: P

aaanorton · Sep 11, 2003, 05:56 PM

Originally posted by killer_735:
1. The PB can't pull an IP via airport unless I connect a cable to the ethernet jack, have it pull an ip that way, then unplug it and switch to using airport. I have to do this over every time my system restarts or I take it to class and leave the network. Is there perhaps some setting that needs to be played with that's only accessable via the terminal? The router is set to leave wi-fi wide open, so it seems that it's not the problem.

Go to Sys Prefs, click on Network. Show: Airport, then go to the Airport tab. Choose the 2nd option: Join most recently used available network, and Remember password.

2. How can I use the encryption feature of the router with an airport card. I know there's a way......there must be, right? Right now it refuses to accept any password, and if I set up an access list with my mac address, the router stops talking to me altogether.

I have my WEP set to 128 bit, automatic authentication type. To join it, enter a 128 bit hex password. If the MAC address is not accepted, you're probably using the wrong MAC address. Remember you have two: one for the ethernet card and one for the Airport card. You need to use the Airport card address. You can find this in the Airport tab from the above description or in Apple System Profiler.

killer_735 · Sep 11, 2003, 07:09 PM

Good try, but that only partway fixed the problem. I still couldn't pull an IP. What worked was turning on 128-bit encryption. Suddenly the DHCP server starts talking to my powerbook. Apparently the encryption appeased the network gods and they granted me an IP. Hail, network gods.

truaxbiology · Sep 11, 2003, 09:03 PM

I don't pretend to be an expert on anything, however, I posted a request concerning issues I was having with the very same router and my PowerBook with an AirPort extreme card. I didn't get any help here, however, I did discover that all of my problems were fixed when I upgraded the firmware to 5.01. Just a thought from a neophyte of the networking world.

ghporter · Sep 12, 2003, 02:18 PM

Sorry truax, I didn't see your post or didn't have enough experience with your hardware to help you out.

Your updating your firmware is often a recommended step, but be prepared to return to the original firmware if that doesn't immediately fix the problem; you could be multiplying your problem instead of subtracting from it!

Killer's problem probably stemmed from his PB already being set up for 128-bit encryption. If that were the case, it would not be able to "see" the data from the wireless base because it was decrypting the plain text data. By activating the encryption feature on the base, he allowed the two ends to "speak the same language."

I am confused about this, though, since the encryption option is in the network system preferences that aaanorton directed him to. It is obvious (to me, anyway) when that option is selected-it sticks out.

killer_735 · Sep 13, 2003, 03:36 PM

I think what you said about the encryption sounds right...but I've looked all over the network prefs and I don't see anything about encryption at all. I'm using the latest version of airport with 10.2.6.

aaanorton · Sep 13, 2003, 05:53 PM

I don't think there is any control over what "encryption language" your comp speaks. Passwords are stored in Keychain, and are encrypted based on how it was originally saved. In fact, it may only get encrypted when being sent, as opposed to just being stored there.
On the wireless networks I've used, if you have WEP enabled and a client that is authorized on it, and then you DISable WEP, the same client can still join without any reconfig. The "Join most recently used available network" option always works best for me, even when staying at one location, in which case the one of the other choices might seem to make more sense.

ghporter · Sep 14, 2003, 03:59 PM

Language is a big problem when dealing with wireless, particularly when it's Apple wireless. For some reason, they like to use different terms and different processes than everybody else for some of the most basic things.

For most (maybe all) versions of AirPort software, there isn't an explicit "on/off" for encryption; you enter a password to turn on encryption. This password isn't just a password; it is either entered in hexadecimal and serves as the WEP key, or it is entered as plain text, and converted to hex by the software, the hex serving as the WEP key.

aaanorton · Sep 14, 2003, 04:43 PM

Maybe I misread your other post. All I was trying to say was that if you try to connect to a network using a password, but the network does not require a password, you'll still be able to get on. That's all, though I may have let my fingers do a little too much walking previously.

killer_735 · Sep 14, 2003, 10:12 PM

Another thing that seems to help is to have address reservation set up. This is a new attempt, and it seems to be working, but it's sorta early to tell. See what happend.

killer_735 · Sep 14, 2003, 10:28 PM

See what <I>happens</I>