Iphone 4S and my LAN-with-wireless

[BonzaiDuck]

I have time to fiddle with this, but it is only preliminary to "other stuff" -- like installing my ISP's "app" so I can watch TV on my cellphone at home.

I'm relatively new to wireless, but old hand with wired. I opened up our CISCO E2000 router's wireless feature three months ago, after acquiring a surplus laptop refurb. I'm pleased with the "old" lappie: It's fast enough that I might get three years out of it before I buy a new one. I replaced the Wireless-G mini-PCIe card with the Wireless-N unit, which cost me about $10. There were some "bumps" in the road, but I got the wireless connection to the household LAN working fine.

I've yet to update the firmware in the E2000. I'm not that eager to do it, and less eager to buy a new router. Everything in the house is working fine. I'm not that eager to upset the apple-cart, even temporarily. [But -- maybe -- I might have to do it.]

So. I just updated my "semi-smart" cellphone to the Iphone 4S. I'm still getting "familiar." Frankly, I want something with a keyboard. I logged on to Anandtech yesterday with the Iphone to read a thread I'd started. Then -- I reached for my "Compact Edition of the OED" and the Bausch-Lomb magnifier. And -- I adjusted my reading glasses. [These smart-phones are in-bleeping-sane! Ya got your little stylus there, you got your touch-screen. Ooooooo!! Beam me up, Scotty!! Beam me up!!]

The iPhone instructions recommend what I'd already done. After experimenting with the 5Ghz band of the router with the laptop, I set it to 2.4, auto "20 and 40", WPA2/AES -- all these things are supposedly supposed to work with the cellphone.

The cellphone recognizes the router's SSID. The router is set up to offer DHCP to devices. When I try to connect, it asks for the router's password, which I take to mean the eight-digit "pin" code of the router I'd used to connect the laptop.

But -- no cigar. Connection fails. So far, I've walked through some "advice" at the apple and other sites for "troubleshooting."

Any ideas? I'll be patient. But -- darn!! I want to watch "The Strain," "Tyrant," "The Last Ship" etc. while I sit in that small, warm, quiet place . . . for the massive-gassive, lumpy-dumpy, poopy-doopy, s***ty gritty.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Let me add some more info here.

I have turned off the router's "guest" feature. If there is a "machine-name" for the cell-phone, I wouldn't know how to find it or create it -- or even if I need it. I'm not sure that I should really need to "manually" set up the subnet and gateway address (192.168. .. . you know).

So -- Any thoughts? Inspirations here?

 

[VirtualLarry]

The iPhone instructions recommend what I'd already done. After experimenting with the 5Ghz band of the router with the laptop, I set it to 2.4, auto "20 and 40", WPA2/AES -- all these things are supposedly supposed to work with the cellphone.

The cellphone recognizes the router's SSID. The router is set up to offer DHCP to devices. When I try to connect, it asks for the router's password, which I take to mean the eight-digit "pin" code of the router I'd used to connect the laptop.

The 8-digit numeric code is a WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) pin. It is NOT the password. The WiFi password is the up-to 64 digit ASCII password/phrase that you entered during router setup as the WPA2 passphrase. There should be two of them, one for the 2.4Ghz radio, and one for the 5Ghz radio.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The 8-digit numeric code is a WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) pin. It is NOT the password. The WiFi password is the up-to 64 digit ASCII password/phrase that you entered during router setup as the WPA2 passphrase. There should be two of them, one for the 2.4Ghz radio, and one for the 5Ghz radio.

Thanks, Larry. I figured it out before logging back in here. There is a "router" password, entered with the SSID when you want to access the router setup pages. There is a Wireless Security Passphrase -- which I certainly created, forgot, and just rediscovered. And the rest -- as you say.

In a way, I'm surprised. There are a lot of forum threads (elsewhere) going back a few years with people puzzled by this. It is really quite simple, but a lot of folks have trouble. "Doin' it right" eliminates any need for troubleshooting.

My friends have started treating me as if I'm some sort of Luddite -- not being "Smart-phone savvy." I think I can catch up quickly now. But Geez!! Reading web-pages on your cell-phone? I thought the magnifying glass was cumbersome. I'm thinking "electron microscope."

I guess I'll take this in stages. Maybe -- install the app tomorrow, so I can do the "TV" thing -- WHERE-ever!! [heh-heh]