[geekwagon]

Long shot here..

Just wondering if anyone here knows how to use a WEP key that is required to be in one of the 2, 3, or 4 index slots (for non-Apple base stations, obviously.)

If you don't understand what I mean, in pretty much every WiFi implementation but Apple's, the driver allows you to enter up to 4 WEP keys and choose which one is active. Unfortunately, the keys are indexed such that if the basestation is using a key in index position 2, the client must ALSO have the key in index position 2, or it won't work. The GUI in OS X for entering keys does not allow this, it will only use the index 1 position.

I have the misfortune to be stuck using a basestation that requires that I put the WEP key into index 2. I have kind of worked around the problem by using an Orinoco card and aftermarket drivers (which allow me to use the indexed WEP keys) on my 17" Powerbook, but that doesn't really help me on my 12" Powerbook (no PC Card slot.) I have been unsuccessful in convincing the people responsible for the network that this should change (corporate standard for a large company)

I have also poked around in the .plist files and such for airport to see if I could find something useful in there and came up empty. In fact, I couldn't find where the heck the WEP key is stored at all. I also hoped to look through the source for the kernel driver, but that is unfortunately one of the few kernel extensions that Apple does not include with Darwin, so no luck there either.

I guess what I am looking for is if anyone knows a non-obvious way to do this (kind of like preceding the key with a $ used to signify that it was a hex key, not a password) or can recommend a third-party driver that will work with the built in Airport Extreme in Powerbooks that has this functionality.

Jaguar or Panther, any help appreciated.

[Big Mac]

You know far more than I about this subject, geekwagon, but I can certainly share my experience and empathize. My new NetGear MR814 router is really great - I couldn't be happier. The freedom is so wonderful. But I have run into some issues with WEP. And one of them was the use of more than one encryption key. I was under the impression that the other available slots were just so that machines could login with any one of the valid ones. But it makes a lot more sense that one would have to match server WEP number field with client WEP number field. The fact that multiple WEP keys didn't work the way I thought they would forced me to reset my router at least six times. Every airport interface only has one password field.

I was happy to figure out that $ sign forced hexademical mode and even happier to notice that Internet Connect's field allows me to paste the WEP key from the clipboard. (The menulet dialog doesn't, in contrast). So, in essence, I don't have any useful knowledge to impart on this subject. But I'd be very happy to hear the solution.

[Scarpa]

I don't know the answer to your question about indexes.

But, you could use a USB wireless client on your 12" PB. Yet another workaround...

[superlarry]

you can try posting in the network forum - there are some *very* knowledgeable people in there that i think rarely browse the other sections of the site and will probably miss the question here.

[geekwagon]

Originally posted by Scarpa:
I don't know the answer to your question about indexes.

But, you could use a USB wireless client on your 12" PB. Yet another workaround...

That's not a bad solution, does anyone have recommendations for a smallish, preferably inexpensive USB WiFi adapter that works with OS X?

What I have been doing is using the "internet sharing" feature to share the ethernet connection on my 17" Powerbook while I am at work. That only covers about 25% of the building though

[Drakino]

Simple answer. Can't be done.

Long answer can be found in my posts on the following sites:

1. Here

2. At MacOSXHints

3. At Apple's site

The bad news gets worse too. 3rd party drivers exist for the Airport cards, but not the Airport Extreme ones. This is due to Broadcom not releasing any information on the chipset in the AE cards.

For now, I am up and running on my work network, only because the key rotation at the moment is using index 1. I'll have no luck in about another week though. Oh, and calling Apple on this has led to no help. They don't see it as a problem since my company didn't buy tons of Airport base stations to use as access points.

[Big Mac]

Ah, here's one of those knowledgeable people, Drakino -- thanks for the info. I wasn't going to post it, but I expected that Apple didn't have much interest in supporting a feature that isn't found in the ABS.