ipad connecting with WEP

mgfvvc

A family member is using a TP-Link TL-WR743ND WAP.
Her son has been given an ipad by school and it complains that the connection is WEP, which is not considered secure. I've checked the spec, it supports WPA2, so I'm at a bit of a loss to understand why the ipad would be connecting using WEP. Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?

[Deleted User]

It sounds as if she has the router set to WEP, rather than WPA2.  She can change it in the router's settings.

Neil_Jones

This normally means you've set the access point up as WEP, just because the iPad supports WPA2 doesn't mean it will always connect at WPA2, you need to set the wireless access up to serve WPA2, most of these things (especially an older device like that) will default to WEP unless you tell it otherwise.

mgfvvc

Neil_Jones said:

This normally means you've set the access point up as WEP, just because the iPad supports WPA2 doesn't mean it will always connect at WPA2, you need to set the wireless access up to serve WPA2, most of these things (especially an older device like that) will default to WEP unless you tell it otherwise.

The router has just been reset to the default settings, which are unlikely to be WEP. Nothing has been changed from those settings. I don't believe that will be the issue, but when I get a chance, I will check the settings and confirm that I can connect with WPA2 from another device.

Neil_Jones

I used to have one of these (or something very similar of a very similar age) and that did default to WEP.

wongataa

mgfvvc said:

Neil_Jones said:

This normally means you've set the access point up as WEP, just because the iPad supports WPA2 doesn't mean it will always connect at WPA2, you need to set the wireless access up to serve WPA2, most of these things (especially an older device like that) will default to WEP unless you tell it otherwise.

The router has just been reset to the default settings, which are unlikely to be WEP. Nothing has been changed from those settings. I don't believe that will be the issue, but when I get a chance, I will check the settings and confirm that I can connect with WPA2 from another device.

It is the router that defines the connection security protocol used.  The devices connected to the Wi-Fi have to use whatever protocols are defined by the device they connect to - your router in this case.

mgfvvc

wongataa said:

It is the router that defines the connection security protocol used.  The devices connected to the Wi-Fi have to use whatever protocols are defined by the device they connect to - your router in this case.

Both the router and the device influence the choice of protocol. Clearly it has to be a protocol supported by both devices. In this case both the router and the ipad officially support both WPA and WEP. The most secure of the available protocols should be chosen and that should be WPA2. The question is why that is not happening.
I don't believe it's the router, but I won't have access to confirm that it is accepting WPA2 connections from other devices until the weekend.
I'm told that this ipad has difficulties connecting to another network, but I don't have details, so I'm suspicious that there is something odd about the way the school has set it up.

Were_Doomed

No ... in the router you define which protocol the WiFi should use. (It's a selectable option, usually a dropdown box, in the admin panel). In theory there may be an option to use either of WPA2 or WEP (depending on what the device supports), and that option might be selected, but then you simply change the option to WPA2 only.  

mgfvvc

I've found the manual online and everyone telling me that I'm wrong is correct. Wifi protocol selection is less flexible than I expected. I also thought my laptop had connected with WPA2, but it can't have.

I am surprised that it appears to have defaulted to WEP after a reset, but it's an old device and maybe that was a reasonable choice when it was new. I will change the settings to WPA2/AES when I next have access.

debitcardmayhem

mgfvvc said:

I've found the manual online and everyone telling me that I'm wrong is correct. Wifi protocol selection is less flexible than I expected. I also thought my laptop had connected with WPA2, but it can't have.

I am surprised that it appears to have defaulted to WEP after a reset, but it's an old device and maybe that was a reasonable choice when it was new. I will change the settings to WPA2/AES when I next have access.

How enlightening, well done for letting everyone know