Question : Problem: Connecting to wireless network, Linksys WRT54GS

when I connect to a Microsoft based PC to a wireless network, all I need is the "network key"  and once the software finds the access point, I click connect and thens supply the key.

With this Mac, I don't know what to do.  There is a place to add the key but after I put the key and the add button doesn't work.  There is a drop down that let me choose WEB 40-128 bit.  the network key is for WEP 64bit.   Any ideas?  

Answer : Problem: Connecting to wireless network, Linksys WRT54GS

OK .. first can I say that usually it is pretty straightforward to connect to a WEP encrypted network however there are a few issues to watch out for ..

You don't mention what model of Mac and therefore what type of wireless card is inside?
The latest Apple intel MacBooks have 802.11n cards but older models may only support 802.11g or b and this can affect what types of encryption they support.

These are the steps I go through to troubleshoot a wireless connection from a mac.
1. Disable encryption on the network and confirm that the Mac connects OK
2. OK so the mac can connect .. now to check encryption formats.
3. You are using a 10 character - WEP 64 bit password so on the Mac ... enter a $ symbol followed by the 10 digit key "95e2ed69d0" - does this work?
4. Yes = Hooray!!    NO .. go to step 5
5. Try WPA  encryption instead of WEP .. this should work

Here is a guide to how to generate a good WEP key on the Mac
http://www.atpm.com/8.04/wifi.shtml

Have a look at this review which mentions WEP problems with macs and the Linksys
http://www.applelinks.com/p5/index.php/comments/3026/

There are a few other forums which discuss the Linksys
http://garrickvanburen.com/archive/how-to-set-up-a-linksys-router-with-mac-os-x

From another forum .. this may help direct you.
http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-68764.html
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An ASCII password is never actually used to encrypt a WEP network, instead it is used to derive fixed length keys which are then, in turn, used for encryption.

Unfortunately, there are a handful of different algorithms for deriving a WEP key from an ASCII password, and they aren't compatible with each other. This is the problem you are running into.

The Airport method of deriving the WEP key from an ASCII password is different than most other vendors. You must use the exact 10 digit hexadecimal key that is generated to connect to a WEP 40 network.

Oh, and as far as the naming 40/128, WEP 64 is also called WEP 40, and WEP 128 is also called WEP 104. This is because the pre-shared-key (the one generated from the ASCII password) is 40 bits long for 64-bit encryption, and it is 104 bits long in 128 bit encryption. Network devices add this 40/104 bit key to a 24 bit Initialization Vector to get the full sized 64/128 bit key used for the actual encryption.


This issue appears to be a serious flaw that was introduced with Airport Update 2007-7. The problem is that this update appears to have broken Airport with Macbooks so that they cannot connect using WPA (and sometimes WEP) with a variety of wifi routers. The problem does not seem to affect Intel iMacs. I am having the problem myself with two different D-Link routers, and having done some research, it appears that the issue is also present with Netgear and Linksys routers as well.

This is a very serious bug that has left many users without wireless access. The only real fixes at the moment seem to be (1) buying a new router or (2) switching off WPA or WEP security. Neither of these are a palatable option, and in fact are impossible in office environments. The last fix is to plug in an ethernet cable, which is exactly what I am doing now at my office. I am disappointed that Apple did not thoroughly test the update with various router combinations. In my many years of using Apple computers, this is certainly the most disabling "update" that I have seen.

I have filed a bug report with ADC, but no reply from Apple. We can only hope that they will soon provide a fix for this serious issue.

There is a thread with nearly 2500 views and 90 replies on the Apple Discussions board, so this is certainly a hot topic and surely Apple knows about it.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=883021&tstart=0