[maikki]

I recieved my MacBook this week but have been having sme problems with the wireless connection between it and my NetGear DG834G router.

The MacBook detects the wireless fine - the only problem is that it cannot connect to the network when the connection is encrypted - I've tried WPA-PSK and WEP but both times I'm told I've entered an incorrect password - yet it's definatly correct. When I leave the connection unencrypted it can connect fine, however this isn't really an option for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not sure if it's the router or the MacBook and I don't have anything else to try the connection with.

Thanks,

James

[mduell]

Are you entering the password the same way (ASCII or hex) on both ends?

[maikki]

With WEP I enter the hex code it gives me, and WPA I use the key I enter (ASCII). Neither work.

[ghporter]

Welcome to the MacNN Forums!

Please post details on how the NetGear router's encryption is set up. This isn't an insurmountable obstacle, just a royal pain in the butt, and we can probably help you out. For example, there are a number of WPA options, and they don't always have the same names on different platforms. Choosing the right option might be all it takes.

And there's a particularly wierd problem using WEP (aside from it being really BAD security) with a Mac and a third party product. Actually a few problems. To start with, there's no standard for how WEP devices convert a phrase or text password into a key the way there is in WPA, so what you enter in Brand A's setup will probably produce a different key than the same entry in Brand B's device.

You could get around this by entering a hex key directly-except the Mac interprets the characters you enter for the key as text while everybody else sees them as hex characters. You can get around this by prepending the characters in your AirPort setup with a '$' (no quotes of course), which will tell the AirPort card to use the characters as hex.

[maikki]

I have the settings as follows:

Broadcast SSID: On
Region: Europe
Channel: 11
Mode: g & b
Wireless Access Point: On

Security Options:

WPA-PSK (the MacBook recognises this as WPA Personal).
ASCII Passcode (no hex value is given)

I can try getting WEP to work, although I'd tried to get WPA working if possible.

[ghporter]

Using WPA is infinitely better than WEP.

When you enter the passphrase, are you doing it manually, or by copying it and pasting it? I've found that to be much better-it lets you use a more complex and thus more effective passphrase without the error-prone task of typing it in.

[Macola]

Did the passphrase ever work originally? if so, your keychain may be messed up (I've had this problem on my MacBook). Try deleting the appropriate entry from the keychain and then enter it in the network prefs again.