Glenski :
I understood almost nothing of that link. Geez, can't someone explain things so that a novice can get it?
"Should an additional wireless client adapter be introduced into the network, the original installation process is simply repeated. Simply initiate AOSS on the client device and then press the AOSS button on the AP, and within a minute, encryption and security will be established."
This quote is from that link. If I understand it correctly, how am I supposed to repeat installation? That is, my second laptop is a netbook with no place to put the Buffalo disk.
eibgrad wrote:
"But the problem is, the other laptop must either support AOSS as well, or else you’ll have to dig out the wireless security information from the router and manually provide it to that other laptop. "
How do I figure out whether my netbook supports AOSS or not? If it doesn't, how do I "dig out the wireless security info"? Guys, I'm very green at this, as if you didn't know!
Thanks so far.
I appreciate your frustration, but please understand that those trying to help have to make at least SOME assumptions about technical knowledge and skill. If we didn’t, we’d never get through all these questions. So we try to find a middle ground. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. It would also be helpful if ppl provided FULL DETAILS (e.g., make & model). I’m only learning now that your second “laptop” is actually a netbook. Such details can make a big difference. Had I known this was a netbook (make & model even better), I would have assumed it was NOT AOSS compatible.
A wireless router as shipped comes w/ wireless security DISABLED. We’re not talking about the login (username/password) used to authorize access to the router’s administration interface via your web browser (
http://192.168.11.1 , I believe this is your router’s IP address, but I can’t be 100% sure since you didn’t provide a model #). Wireless security is a completely separate issue.
Your wireless router, by default, will send data “in the clear” (i.e., unencrypted) and will allow ANYONE within range to use the wireless router by merely finding the wireless signal (via its SSID) and connecting. This is exactly what happens when you use your laptop/netbook at an open wifi location (Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.). It’s convenient but poses a security risk. When using wireless at home, it’s best to ENABLE wireless security. Every wireless router allows you to address the problem of unauthorized access and eavesdropping by supplying a “key” that the wireless router a) requires the user to provide for authorization purposes and b) to encrypt the data that traverses those wireless signals.
Every wireless router will have some page within its numerous administration pages (
http://192.168.11.1 ) where you configure this information. It should be fairly obvious, esp. if you know the kind of information needed. There are several TYPES of security, including WEP, WPA, and WPA2. The gory details that distinguish one from the other are unimportant right now (fwiw, WPA2 is consider the best choice). You indicate a type, provide a key, and apply the changes (might require rebooting the router, but usually it doesn’t). Once you do, then every wireless user will need to specify that same type and key before the connection will be allowed.
Now let me touch on AOSS briefly (just so you know why it even became an issue). Because dealing w/ all these security issues is so complex (esp. for customers with little to no experience), manufacturers have devised techniques, various forms of automation, to make it brain dead simple to enable and configure wireless security. One of these is AOSS. Your wireless router happens to support AOSS. It’s just a button on the outside of the unit. When you press it, any AOSS compatible wireless client (desktop, laptop, netbook, whatever) will NEGOTIATE a suitable wireless configuration between them (type and key). It’s all done behind the scenes. It’s like magic. There are other systems similar to AOSS used by other manufacturers, and they all pretty much work the same. But they are often INCOMPATIBLE across manufacturers. All this “magic” is only going to be useful when ALL the devices share the same system (AOSS in this case). Throw in a laptop from work w/ no support for AOSS and you suddenly need to return to using the manual approach.
So in light of this information, let’s consider your initial posting. You indicated your home laptop worked fine, but when you tried to use the second laptop from work (netbook), it suddenly asked you for a “network key”. That’s the wireless security I was describing above. Since you had no idea what that was, yet your wireless router is prompting for a key (as if security is enabled and configured), and we know your home laptop works, all I could assume is that when you first setup the wireless router and home laptop, you actually had used the AOSS system (even if you didn’t realize it or know what it was at the time). It’s just a button on the router. And if you coincidentally had a compatible AOSS wireless client adapter, security would have been configured automatically.
So now you bring home this netbook which is probably NOT AOSS compatible and boom, the wireless router wants to know the network key (otherwise you ain’t getting’ in). That’s how you probably got to the current situation. Of course, I can’t be 100% sure, I wasn’t there when you set it up, I only have the information you’ve provided, and common sense to draw some reasonable conclusions.
So now what you need to do is login to your wireless router (
http://192.168.11.1 ), find the wireless security section, and determine what wireless security TYPE and KEY your router automatically configured, then go back to the netbook and provide that information if/when prompted. If for some reason wireless security is NOT configured on the router (which frankly wouldn’t make sense if it’s prompting for the key, but just in case), then you’ll want to configure wireless security NOW. Most ppl should use WPA2 and a good key (12-14 random alphanumeric chars if fine (A-Z, 0-9) and write it down somewhere). Again, based on the behavior, it’s probably already configured and you just need to RETRIEVE the type and key so you can provide it if/when prompted.
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