Stupid WiFi security snafu I'm wasting my question on this week.

June 4, 2008 8:28 AM

Home WiFi network security-filter. I set up my security using WPA and now my home computer won't connect to the network. Please talk to the moron in small words.

It's your basic D-Link wireless routher, and I'm connected and surfing freely via my work laptop that I'm typing from. When I bring up the wireless connection it says its WPA2.

Home computer (running Windows XP 2002 service pack 1) can see the network but won't connect. When I bring up the connection window it says "This wireless network requires the use of a network key (WEP)." Problem is I didn't enable WEP, only WPA. When I go to the network properties it only gives me the WEP options (checkboxes for Data encryption, Network authentication) - still nothing WPA related.

Is this an issue with my version of windows? If so, is there a way around it? If not, any other ideas?

posted by allkindsoftime to computers & internet (6 answers total)

Windows needs the WPA Client, which is a standalone update but is also, I believe, included in Service Pack 2. Is there a reason you haven't upgraded to SP2? You generally want to keep Windows up to date anyway, for other security reasons.
posted by Tomorrowful at 8:37 AM on June 4, 2008

Definitely update your version of Windows to at least Windows XP Service Pack 2. There were lots of good changes between SP1 and SP2, and I seem to remember WPA being among them. You should run Windows Update to get your machine to SP2. If that doesn't work, you can download the version of SP2 made for multiple computers here.
posted by eafarris at 8:41 AM on June 4, 2008

I thought WPA was only added in SP2, a quick google turned up this , which does seem to support that idea after a quick glance.

Any reason you have not installed SP2 or SP3?
posted by Z303 at 8:41 AM on June 4, 2008

Is there a reason you haven't upgraded to SP2?

Haven't used the home computer much in the last few years due to work travel (it spent the last year or so in a storage unit, actually). I'll give the SP2 update a spin and report back w/ results.
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:47 AM on June 4, 2008

WPA works with SP1 (may requires a visit to microsoft update). The issue is most likely that your old wireless driver does not support WPA. You'll need to get an update from your PC manufacturer for this.

You should also move to SP2 or SP3 ASAP.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:03 AM on June 4, 2008

I'd just like to thank allkindsoftime for posting this question as it inspired me to try and get WPA working on my laptop again... and I managed! Hooray! So thanks! (FYI updating the wlan adapter driver did it. I am on SP2 tho so that alone didn't help).
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:09 PM on June 4, 2008