[SOLVED] WPA Security - Vista Home causing connection issues

kj27 · 07-07-2008, 06:13 PM

Hi,

I just got a new notebook: Vista Home Premium (SP 1).

I have a wireless network with the following configuration:

Authentication: WPA-PSK (passkey is full 63 bytes in length)
Encryption: AES
SSID Broadcast: OFF
MAC Address Filtering: ON

The wireless router (which I checked is supposed to be fully Vista compatible):

Manufacturer: Belkin
Model: Model: F5D7230-4 Wireless G
Firmware: 9.01.07
Multiple XP Pro machines connect to this network w/o issues (when the proper Passkey is entered).

The Vista PC recognizes the network (I added the MAC address for the wireless adapter into the router).

But everytime I try to I enter the key to connect, the same message results:

"...The wireless network security key is not correct"

The key is copied and pasted drectly from the router.

Lastly, the adapter is able to connect when security on the network is completely disabled. The ethernet adapter connects just fine to the router w/o issues also.

Am I missing a setting here?

Thanks in advance for your help.

**johnwill** · 07-08-2008, 08:50 AM

Well, 63 characters is probably overkill, I'd suggest you try cutting it down to something like 20 random characters/numbers. Some drivers seem to choke on special characters, and going to the maximum length may be causing some issue with a potentially buggy driver. Twenty random letters/numbers for the WPA key will give you plenty of security, it would take an attacker months of continuous computing to crack that key.

I'm just guessing you're hitting some kind of limit in the driver or perhaps even Vista.

kj27 · 07-09-2008, 10:56 PM

Hi John,

Thanks for the suggestion. I did indeed try the following:

Changed the key to 8 letters (all lowercase) only. Same issue.

By the way, here is my wireless adapter info:

Atheros AR5007
Driver Version: 7.3.201.25

The problem seems to now be resolved. On the router, I did the following:

Set ESSID Broadcast = ON

Voila!

Thanks again for your help. Hope this thread proves helpful to others facing a similar issue.

**johnwill** · 07-10-2008, 08:34 AM

Thanks for the feedback.

I didn't think to ask if SSID broadcasts were enabled. IMO, that's a very anemic security measure, and as you can see just makes your network harder for you to use.

A good read: The Six Dumbest Ways to Secure A Wireless LAN

07-07-2008, 06:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
kj27 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2 OS: XP Professional SP2	[SOLVED] WPA Security - Vista Home causing connection issues Hi, I just got a new notebook: Vista Home Premium (SP 1). I have a wireless network with the following configuration: Authentication: WPA-PSK (passkey is full 63 bytes in length) Encryption: AES SSID Broadcast: OFF MAC Address Filtering: ON The wireless router (which I checked is supposed to be fully Vista compatible): Manufacturer: Belkin Model: Model: F5D7230-4 Wireless G Firmware: 9.01.07 Multiple XP Pro machines connect to this network w/o issues (when the proper Passkey is entered). The Vista PC recognizes the network (I added the MAC address for the wireless adapter into the router). But everytime I try to I enter the key to connect, the same message results: "...The wireless network security key is not correct" The key is copied and pasted drectly from the router. Lastly, the adapter is able to connect when security on the network is completely disabled. The ethernet adapter connects just fine to the router w/o issues also. Am I missing a setting here? Thanks in advance for your help. Last edited by kj27; 07-07-2008 at 06:18 PM.

07-08-2008, 08:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,921 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: WPA Security - Vista Home causing connection issues Well, 63 characters is probably overkill, I'd suggest you try cutting it down to something like 20 random characters/numbers. Some drivers seem to choke on special characters, and going to the maximum length may be causing some issue with a potentially buggy driver. Twenty random letters/numbers for the WPA key will give you plenty of security, it would take an attacker months of continuous computing to crack that key. I'm just guessing you're hitting some kind of limit in the driver or perhaps even Vista. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

07-09-2008, 10:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
kj27 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2 OS: XP Professional SP2	Re: WPA Security - Vista Home causing connection issues Hi John, Thanks for the suggestion. I did indeed try the following: Changed the key to 8 letters (all lowercase) only. Same issue. By the way, here is my wireless adapter info: Atheros AR5007 Driver Version: 7.3.201.25 The problem seems to now be resolved. On the router, I did the following: Set ESSID Broadcast = ON Voila! Thanks again for your help. Hope this thread proves helpful to others facing a similar issue. Last edited by kj27; 07-09-2008 at 11:13 PM. Reason: Problem Solved

07-10-2008, 08:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,921 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: WPA Security - Vista Home causing connection issues Thanks for the feedback. I didn't think to ask if SSID broadcasts were enabled. IMO, that's a very anemic security measure, and as you can see just makes your network harder for you to use. A good read: The Six Dumbest Ways to Secure A Wireless LAN __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience