[P1] OT: Setting up Public Wi-Fi

[Mike Beede]

On Mar 12, 2004, at 2:21 PM, Harry D.Corsover wrote:

> I spent hours on the phone with tech support trying to do that, and 
> gave up. I finally had it set up for 128 bit WEP on my PowerBook G4, 
> then discovered that my wife's clamshell iBook can only use 40 bit (I 
> think) WEP. So, I tried to set up the PowerBook for 40 bit WEP. For 
> whatever reason, I never did get that to work, so I gave up on it. 
> Someone would have to be seriously tresspassing to get close enough 
> anyway, and we don't keep file sharing on.

The problem you might have had is that there really isn't "40 bit WEP,"
but sometimes 64 bit is referred to that way.  On my slightly-older SMC
Barracade, you go to the admin screen (http://192.168.2.1 if you used
the default setup), log in, select "advanced," then "wireless,"
then encryption.  At the top of the page there's a selector, and you 
select
64-bit WEP, type in a passphrase, select "generate" (which fills in the
key) and "apply."

>>  You'll need
>> to either make up a passphrase or a string of hex digits (digits drawn
>> from the set "0123456789abcdef").  Each machine that uses the network
>> needs to have the key or passphrase set into it.  Be aware that when
>> you enable encryption you will lose your wireless connection to the
>> router until you enter the key in your computer.
>
> Once, or every time I come back in range of my network? If the latter, 
> it is certainly not worth the trouble for me. If Keychain can 
> automatically supply the WEP passphrase, then it is at least a 
> possibility.

It will store in your keychain.  That's one reason you should write it
down somewhere--if you want to enter it in another machine you'll
never remember what it was, and I don't know of any way to get something
back *out* of the keychain (not saying there isn't any way--just that I
don't know one).

	Mike Beede