Newbie Confusion Questions...help?

Greetings to All...

Am new to wireless but not to networking hardwired. I installed a
wireless AP into a Ethernet Hub along with a wireless card in a
notebook. I am confused about several things. Been doing hours and
hours of searching and reading to find out answers. That brings me
here to this newsgroup. If anyone would be so kind to reply to the
following topics I am having a problem with, it would be kindly
appreciated.

1) I have a working AP and laptop wireless connection working but I
need advice in securing it. My attempts have led me to more
confusion. On the AP box, admin, I have it set to WPA-PSK TKIP
and set a 30 character key. On my laptop when I search for wireless
networks mine shows and said its an encrypted network..However I can
connect to it without using WPA-PSK on my network card in the laptop.
When I try to connect to the PA network I get a popup box asking for
a key....I type in anything over 8 characters long and I connect to
it! I also tried setting WPA-PAK TKIP on my laptop and again when
I try to login to my AP network I get prompted with the Enter the Key
popup and no matter what I type, 8 chars or more, I can get connected
to the AP network. My question is Does WPA-PSK TKIP only have to
do with encrypting data flow or is it supposed to prevent unwanted
people connecting to your wireless network? I would think if the
popup window prompts you to type the key, that the key has to be
exactly as the AP key is or you're not connected.

2) In experimenting I have to broadcast my SSID Turned OFF. When
I do, I of course do not see my AP network in the search for networks
window, but how do I log onto my AP network then? I have windows
properties to Automatically Configure my Network connections and I
have a check mark in the Automatically Connect to this Network box
but I can't connect to it unless I SEE it in the search for networks
window. How can I access the AP with SSID OFF?

3) Can SSID be set it up so that people without the same SSID as my
AP cannot connect to it?

4) As mentioned, does all the WPA WEP etc. only encrypt the
data flow or does it also block people from connecting to your
wireless AP?(It they're not using the same security method and
same KEY)

Any help offered is certainly well taken.

Good day and good luck!

jasper

Hi

First read this, http://www.ezlan.net/faq.html#signal

The Wireless Security encrypt and decrypt the data flow, as a result any
computer that is trying to connect to the AP can not connect without the
Encryption key the communication s meaningless, and thus no log on..

If you want, visiting friends to communicate to your Wireless you need to
switch the SSID On, http://www.ezlan.net/faq#ssid

May be this can further Help.

Wireless Hardware - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Hardware.html

My New Wireless does not work - http://www.ezlan.net/wireless.html

Wireless, Basic Configuration - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Config.html

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"jasper" <> wrote in message
news...
> Greetings to All...
>
> Am new to wireless but not to networking hardwired. I installed a
> wireless AP into a Ethernet Hub along with a wireless card in a
> notebook. I am confused about several things. Been doing hours and
> hours of searching and reading to find out answers. That brings me
> here to this newsgroup. If anyone would be so kind to reply to the
> following topics I am having a problem with, it would be kindly
> appreciated.
>
> 1) I have a working AP and laptop wireless connection working but I
> need advice in securing it. My attempts have led me to more
> confusion. On the AP box, admin, I have it set to WPA-PSK TKIP
> and set a 30 character key. On my laptop when I search for wireless
> networks mine shows and said its an encrypted network..However I can
> connect to it without using WPA-PSK on my network card in the laptop.
> When I try to connect to the PA network I get a popup box asking for
> a key....I type in anything over 8 characters long and I connect to
> it! I also tried setting WPA-PAK TKIP on my laptop and again when
> I try to login to my AP network I get prompted with the Enter the Key
> popup and no matter what I type, 8 chars or more, I can get connected
> to the AP network. My question is Does WPA-PSK TKIP only have to
> do with encrypting data flow or is it supposed to prevent unwanted
> people connecting to your wireless network? I would think if the
> popup window prompts you to type the key, that the key has to be
> exactly as the AP key is or you're not connected.
>
> 2) In experimenting I have to broadcast my SSID Turned OFF. When
> I do, I of course do not see my AP network in the search for networks
> window, but how do I log onto my AP network then? I have windows
> properties to Automatically Configure my Network connections and I
> have a check mark in the Automatically Connect to this Network box
> but I can't connect to it unless I SEE it in the search for networks
> window. How can I access the AP with SSID OFF?
>
> 3) Can SSID be set it up so that people without the same SSID as my
> AP cannot connect to it?
>
> 4) As mentioned, does all the WPA WEP etc. only encrypt the
> data flow or does it also block people from connecting to your
> wireless AP?(It they're not using the same security method and
> same KEY)
>
> Any help offered is certainly well taken.
>
> Good day and good luck!
>

Thanks for the urls Jack.

On Wed, 6 Sep 2006 23:33:03 -0400, "Jack \(MVP-Networking\)."
<> wrote:

>Hi
>
>First read this, http://www.ezlan.net/faq.html#signal
>
>The Wireless Security encrypt and decrypt the data flow, as a result any
>computer that is trying to connect to the AP can not connect without the
>Encryption key the communication s meaningless, and thus no log on..
>
>If you want, visiting friends to communicate to your Wireless you need to
>switch the SSID On, http://www.ezlan.net/faq#ssid
>
>May be this can further Help.
>
>Wireless Hardware - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Hardware.html
>
>My New Wireless does not work - http://www.ezlan.net/wireless.html
>
>Wireless, Basic Configuration - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Config.html
>
>Jack (MVP-Networking).
>
>
>
>"jasper" <> wrote in message
>news.. .
>> Greetings to All...
>>
>> Am new to wireless but not to networking hardwired. I installed a
>> wireless AP into a Ethernet Hub along with a wireless card in a
>> notebook. I am confused about several things. Been doing hours and
>> hours of searching and reading to find out answers. That brings me
>> here to this newsgroup. If anyone would be so kind to reply to the
>> following topics I am having a problem with, it would be kindly
>> appreciated.
>>
>> 1) I have a working AP and laptop wireless connection working but I
>> need advice in securing it. My attempts have led me to more
>> confusion. On the AP box, admin, I have it set to WPA-PSK TKIP
>> and set a 30 character key. On my laptop when I search for wireless
>> networks mine shows and said its an encrypted network..However I can
>> connect to it without using WPA-PSK on my network card in the laptop.
>> When I try to connect to the PA network I get a popup box asking for
>> a key....I type in anything over 8 characters long and I connect to
>> it! I also tried setting WPA-PAK TKIP on my laptop and again when
>> I try to login to my AP network I get prompted with the Enter the Key
>> popup and no matter what I type, 8 chars or more, I can get connected
>> to the AP network. My question is Does WPA-PSK TKIP only have to
>> do with encrypting data flow or is it supposed to prevent unwanted
>> people connecting to your wireless network? I would think if the
>> popup window prompts you to type the key, that the key has to be
>> exactly as the AP key is or you're not connected.
>>
>> 2) In experimenting I have to broadcast my SSID Turned OFF. When
>> I do, I of course do not see my AP network in the search for networks
>> window, but how do I log onto my AP network then? I have windows
>> properties to Automatically Configure my Network connections and I
>> have a check mark in the Automatically Connect to this Network box
>> but I can't connect to it unless I SEE it in the search for networks
>> window. How can I access the AP with SSID OFF?
>>
>> 3) Can SSID be set it up so that people without the same SSID as my
>> AP cannot connect to it?
>>
>> 4) As mentioned, does all the WPA WEP etc. only encrypt the
>> data flow or does it also block people from connecting to your
>> wireless AP?(It they're not using the same security method and
>> same KEY)
>>
>> Any help offered is certainly well taken.
>>
>> Good day and good luck!
>>
>