setting up wireless network

Lord_Gardener

Have re-enabled wireless on our Sky Netgear router having disabled it last year. Have plugged in a wireless usb adapter and installed the oem software (drivers). has picked up our Sky network (and someones BT hub!). When asked to type in network key (WEP) which I type in as from Sky, I get a pop up screen saying" Wireless configuration" " The network password needs to be 40bits or 104 bits depending on your network configuration, this can be entered as 5 or 13 as ascii characters or 10 or 26 as hexadecimal characters" I can't get further forward than this! Help?

espresso

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

Have re-enabled wireless on our Sky Netgear router having disabled it last year. Have plugged in a wireless usb adapter and installed the oem software (drivers). has picked up our Sky network (and someones BT hub!). When asked to type in network key (WEP) which I type in as from Sky, I get a pop up screen saying" Wireless configuration" " The network password needs to be 40bits or 104 bits depending on your network configuration, this can be entered as 5 or 13 as ascii characters or 10 or 26 as hexadecimal characters" I can't get further forward than this! Help?

You should not be using WEP encryption now, as it was replaced by the much more secure WPA/WPA2 encryption years ago. Simply log into the router, go to the wireless settings page and enter a long random key from here (saved to a notepad file) into the WPA-PSK field. Then copy and paste this key when required during connection of any devices.

Donnie

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

Have re-enabled wireless on our Sky Netgear router having disabled it last year. Have plugged in a wireless usb adapter and installed the oem software (drivers). has picked up our Sky network (and someones BT hub!). When asked to type in network key (WEP) which I type in as from Sky, I get a pop up screen saying" Wireless configuration" " The network password needs to be 40bits or 104 bits depending on your network configuration, this can be entered as 5 or 13 as ascii characters or 10 or 26 as hexadecimal characters" I can't get further forward than this! Help?

The 'Wireless Key' is likely on a sticker underneath the router. Copy those characters in to the space provided.
Are you typing in the correct Network Key?

Once you are over that hurdle, you should certainly follow espresso's advice.

Oliver27

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

Have re-enabled wireless on our Sky Netgear router having disabled it last year. Have plugged in a wireless usb adapter and installed the oem software (drivers). has picked up our Sky network (and someones BT hub!). When asked to type in network key (WEP) which I type in as from Sky, I get a pop up screen saying" Wireless configuration" " The network password needs to be 40bits or 104 bits depending on your network configuration, this can be entered as 5 or 13 as ascii characters or 10 or 26 as hexadecimal characters" I can't get further forward than this! Help?

I am guessing you have Windows XP and dont have service pack 2
installed on that pc, WPA support wasn't added to windows till service
pack 2 thats why windows thinks the key is invalid.

The Sky router comes with WPA encryption enabled from default
so you have two choices switch the router to WEP (not ideal)
or update your version of XP to at least service pack 2 or 3
idealy
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389

Lord_Gardener

Thanks for all the advice. I've been given an old Dell base unit which I'm playing with! I'm guessing that it has no service packs - it was from a business who didn't have it connected to the net! It has the product key on the side but don't know if it's ok for me to use? Is there a simple patch to download to give it WPA? I'm just checking that the usb adapter works prior to installing on DD's machine for her birthday - it's impossible to get on her pc during these school hol's! I suppose if it's ok to use the product key I could plug in the wired link and down load the service packs!

Donnie

Oliver27 wrote: »

I am guessing you have Windows XP and dont have service pack 2
installed on that pc, WPA support wasn't added to windows till service
pack 2 thats why windows thinks the key is invalid.

The Sky router comes with WPA encryption enabled from default
so you have two choices switch the router to WEP (not ideal)
or update your version of XP to at least service pack 2 or 3
idealy
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389

Good guess.

espresso

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

Is there a simple patch to download to give it WPA?

Yes if you can find it on the M$ site. I have loaded the WPA patch for someone who did not want all of the updates. More info here.

Lord_Gardener

I'm guessing that I'll need at least Service pack 1?

espresso

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

I'm guessing that I'll need at least Service pack 1?

I recently updated an old XP machine straight up to SP2 very easily, by using one file downloaded from here

Lord_Gardener

I must be going blind! can't see the WUD prog to download!

Now why didn't I look under prog files??????

espresso

Lord_Gardener wrote: »

I must be going blind! can't see the WUD prog to download!

Click on the links top left of the page:

About
Screenshots
Program Files
Update Lists (ULs)

:cool: