Earlier this year, in order for my son to use Internet on his computer (with Windows XP), I acquired a Linksys WRT54G router and a Belkin
802.11g network card.Configuring the Linksys was no problem, but I struggled for literally hours to get the Belkin card to do anything. The screens produced by the installation software bore only a passing resemblance to what was in the user manual, I could make no connection, and eventually I gave up and resolved to try another day.
A few weeks later my son reported that he had suddenly acquired an Internet connection!! I didn't understand this but the connection worked fine for months, so I decided that trying to understand it was a waste of time.
I have just acquired a laptop for my work, and on connecting to the Linksys I discovered what had happened: the Linksys had spontaneously reset itself and disabled WEP. (This incidentally does not give me much faith in Linksys equipment - is it a common problem?) Apparently the Belkin card is happy to talk to an unsecured router, but not to use WEP. During the installation I had entered the WEP key (and tried it again ... and again ...)
Obviously I don't want my work going over an unsecured connection. I re-enabled WEP on the Linksys. Connecting the laptop is no problem: it pops up a window showing me my router (and two belonging to the neighbours), I type in the WEP key and off we go.
But of course my son now has no internet connection again. No pop-up appears for him.
How on earth do I persuade the Belkin card to use WEP?