Wireless - Laptop - Won't Connect When Encrypted - Long Explanation

mikemoate

This has got me beat and any advice would much appreciated.

In short I have laptop that will connect to my wireless network and the net when the network is unencrypted, but won't when it is encrypted although the adapter tells me I am connected. Please read on for further details.

I have had an 128 WEP Encrypted Wireless Home Network for about three years, all connected by wi-fi. Set up for the past year or so has been 1 pc on XP (built in wireless), 2 pc's on ME (1 using BT 1010 usb adaptor, the other using a BT1020 laptop card adapter (it's a Sony Vaio), 1 laptop on 98SE using a Belkin laptop adapter. I had been using a Voyager 2000 router and everything was hunky dory, everything connecting to the net, all the machines seeing each other, all able to use a printer off the xp pc. All the adapters apart from the built in wireless in the xp pc are only 11b compliant.

Upgraded to ADSLmax (and things continued as normal) and got a Voyager 2091 router for £10 off BT as a spare. Didn't use the 2091 initially but then the Voyager 2000 had an accident. I have it perched on top of a wardrobe in the bedroom (live in a 3 storey house) and new kitten knocked it off.

Wheeled out the 2091 router (which comes with 128 WEP encryption enabled by default) and as the initial set up has to be via direct usb or ethernet connection used the laptop to do this and it went OK. Connected wirelessly to all the other machines with no problem. Then removed the ethernet connection to the 98se laptop, set up wireless again but whilst it identified the network when I tried to connect to the net - it wouldn't - and it wouldn't connect to the routers control panel. Tried various things with no joy and eventually using another machine turned off encryption. The laptop connected fine to the router and the net. Turned encryption back on again and the laptop lost the connection, although as before the adapter was identifying the network and telling me I am connected. I've tried everything I know and swapped adaptors, used the USB adaptor, released, renewed, removed config, protocols and so on.

espresso

How did you enter the encryption key? Have you tried entering a hex string at both ends of the link? i.e. not a pass-phrase.

mikemoate

Hi espresso. I've tried both 13 ASCII characters and 26 hexadecimal digits. It needs to be WEP rather that WPA as I understand 98SE doesn't support the latter.