AirPort (snow) won't talk with Win XP Laptop?

Even so, I think the first article I turned up when searching "WEP password" contains the answer to your problem.

I think it is the way the Airport handles the wep password with regards to non apple products. Try this:

for a 40 bit wep network, choose a 5-character password. as in apple or peach For a 128 bit wep network, choose a 13-character password appleandpeach

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 11:44:29 -0700, Tom Stiller wrote (in article snipped-for-privacy@comcast.dca.giganews.com>):

URL, please?

I searched again, on Google (did you use Google, or another engine?), using the phrase "WEP password" and another using the words "WEP" and "password" separately. I came up with these hits:

Which one do you think holds the answer? The former describes how hex strings aren't always reliable as keys, and that if you're using 128-bit WEP, it's best to use a 13-character ascii password (which I am using).

The latter link is a pageful of windows "gotcha's" and solutions, but all it talks about re. passwords, is the admin password. Nothing about WEP.

But passwords aren't the problem, I think. The Win XP laptop asks me for a password when I connect to the AirPort. I enter the PW and it accepts it. It seems to connect successfully ("Signal Strength: Strong, Speed: 11.0 Mbps). I just can't get on the 'net with any TCP apps.

Other ideas?

Thanks,

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 12:14:55 -0700, Airhead wrote (in article <41795c71$0$801$ snipped-for-privacy@news.cablerocket.com>):

That seems to have fixed it. I'm dumbfounded why your 13-character password example works and mine doesn't. Maybe Win XP doesn't like spaces or other alphabetic characters in the ascii password? Dunno.

But thanks sooooo much for helping out. I've been banging my head against the wall for several days over this.

Thanks,

Magic!!!!

Be sure you're using 40-bit WEP, not 128bit. I've had that problem before.

Also, don't use the passphrase, use the actual key. You can get it from the Airport admin program. Connect to the base station with the admin program, then select 'Base Station' from the menu. Then select 'Network equivalent password' and it will display key

1. Put that into your XP wireless configuration.

-Stephen

You have different WEP keys on the PC and Airport.

Different manufacturers use different means of entering the key - sometimes alphanumeric, sometimes hex, sometimes via passphrase. You need to find a common means across all three devices.

Airport trys to guess if you want 64 or 128bit encryption. If you select something in between or longer, it apparently (not sure) truncates the ASCII WEP key. See: