Why can't I connect to wireless network when secruity is enabled?

[Sunday Ironfoot]

OK, I have a Netgear RangeMax WPNT834 Wireless router and for some reason I can't seem to connect to it when I enable any of the security settings (WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK (AES) etc.). Sometimes it connects but then I have no internet access, other times it doesn't connect at all. However, when I completely disable all security settings in the control panel, it works fine, internet access and all.

My wireless card is also a Netgear WPN311 RangeMax, I've updated firmware on the router. Also we had secured wireless working on this thing for a few months now, just yesterday it stopped working. But before that we had intermittent problems with the router not connecting which we thought we solved by updated the firmware.

Any ideas whats causing this? Do we just have a duff router? I'm trying to avoid calling Netgear tech support because it's the absolute worst tech support I have ever experienced (speaking to you like an idiot, reading from a script etc.). Cheers!

 

[cbayadmin]

The fact that you can connect with security settings off is good.
Go back, try wpa-psk and set the authentication password. now you know that you CAN connect without security, and you know that you just set WPA-PSK and it needs a passphrase to authenticate.

On your client you have likely already discovered that you can see the wireless connection and that maybe you can even connect and you still can't get out to the internet.

Troubleshooting ideas:


1) Turn off / uninstall the third party (netgear) wireless application. Then lets just focus on getting the windows zero configuration wireless system up and running. Computer > right click > manage > services. Stop then restart the wireless zero config. Go to my network places > right click > properties > local area connection > right click and set the wireless configurations on the wireless tab. Mainly focus on the WPA-PSK and passphrase settings. don't get baffled and distracted by the myriad other settings in there.

2) Give your wireless nic card a STATIC IP address, subnet mask, gateway and DNS server address. if you are running a local server and it's running the DNS services for your local network, make sure you set your client to the IP address of that DNS server.


3) Turn OFF The windows wireless zero config service and just focus exclusively on getting the third party wireless app to connect. Again focusing on the WPA-PSK settings and authentication, again try setting the nic card at STATIC IP settings for the time being.
Check the channel that your Netgear is transmitting on see if the third party app is set to the matching channel. Change channels maybe.


4) Temporarily disable third party firewall.