Wireless connection and Security (WPA)

onedah · 21 November 2005 at 2:56PM

Hi, I have am trying to connect my laptop to my home wireless network. I have already go a laptop connected successfully however I am trying to connect another without success.

I have got WPA-PSK as my network authentication method however on my second laptop it does not seem to have this so I can not connect to the network. Both Laptop run on Windows XP.

Can someone help plz.

wolfman · 21 November 2005 at 3:11PM

Does your second laptop have Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed?

Darksun · 21 November 2005 at 3:17PM

Some hardware doesn't support WPA, in which case you may have to use WEP.
WEP is less secure, but it's usually enough to deter neighbours or the casual wardriver from bothering you.

If your hardware doesn't support WPA and security is a big issue for you, you could always get a new adapter that works with WPA, but for home users it's really not worth it imo.

onedah · 21 November 2005 at 3:40PM

wolfman wrote:

Does your second laptop have Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed?

The Laptop only has SP1, but so does my other one and it works fine?

Darksun wrote:

If your hardware doesn't support WPA and security is a big issue for you, you could always get a new adapter that works with WPA, but for home users it's really not worth it imo.

The Wireless card I am using (MicroSoft MN 520) does support WPA I have tried it on another laptop with Windows XP sp1 and it works fine?

onedah · 22 November 2005 at 1:28AM

is there anyway to install WPA?

Godders · 22 November 2005 at 1:34AM

Check your network card manufacturer for the latest drivers, I had this add extra encryption methods to one of my cards only last week.

Godders

onedah · 22 November 2005 at 9:37AM

I have checked and seem to have the latest drivers, what I tried was to load the wireless card on anther laptop with the drivers and it picks up WPA and works fine, but not on my other one, WPA is not an option that is available?

cloud_dog · 19 January 2006 at 11:03AM

Just thought I'd add to the info on this thread..........

Have recently setup a wireless network with WPA-PSK. The issue I had was that one of the laptops is running W2000 Pro - which doesn't support WPA-PSK. Aparently the nice people at WSC wrote a client to provide WPA-PSK and have now 'given' it to McAfee.

It is still a free download, so go to the following link and click on the Downloads "McAfee Wireless Security Installation Guide" and download it from there.

http://www.wirelesssecuritycorp.com/wsc/public/WPAAssistant.do

cloud_dog
p.s. (I didn't take you straight there as there may be some useful info on the parent page).

faz7875_2 · 19 January 2006 at 1:14PM

Sorry to hi-jack but what are the advantages of wpa? i'm using 128wep at mo as thought wpa was more for office networks etc.

Cheers

wolfman · 19 January 2006 at 1:46PM

WPA is more secure. 64-bit and 128-bit WEP is crackable, and quite easily too with the right tools.

If possible try and run WPA. For a home user the chances of WEP being under threat from anyone in range (your neighbours) is slim, but it's probably worth running WPA just incase.

Combine WPA, with a Hidden SSID, and MAC filtering and you should be nice and secure.

wadewade · 19 January 2006 at 5:24PM

As a complete newcomer to wireless network WPA is news to me. Do I need to buy a specific type of equipment for it. Can anyone recommend a reasonable price WPA wireless network that I can buy to connect two computers to my Wanadoo BT connection modem? Many thanks (If subject has already been covered recently please forgive me)

Wireless connection and Security (WPA)

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