Question

Mac won't connect to my Linksys Wireless Router (WRTP54G) if WEP is enabled

Asked by: bugsbey

I have a Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5 running Mac OS 10.3.9 with a newly installed Airport Extreme Card. I am trying to get it to connect to my Linksys Wireless Router (WRTP54G). I can only connect to the wifi if I leave it unsecured. I know I’m using the correct WEP key and my Sony laptop can sit right next to the Mac and connect will fill signal strength. Are there some settings I need to have configured to get this to work?

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Asked On
2006-06-30 at 09:02:53ID21904997
Tags

mac

,

linksys

,

wireless

,

connect

,

router

Topic

Networking Hardware for Macintosh

Participating Experts
5
Points
500
Comments
17

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Answers

 

by: strungPosted on 2006-06-30 at 13:16:26ID: 17020703

Are you sure you are using a wep key and not a passphrase?

 

by: bugsbeyPosted on 2006-07-03 at 11:59:55ID: 17032991

Yes, I'm using a WEP Key. I think it has to be something with that router model. Before I got Vonage I had a Linksys WRT54g and worked fine.

 

by: walsellersPosted on 2006-07-27 at 23:45:35ID: 17198776

Did you change the SSID from the standard "Linksys" to something unique?  If not, you could be connecting to the wrong Linksys.  

To enter the hex key in the airport password box, type an 'x' or an '0x' (leading zero) before the WEP key.

 

by: strungPosted on 2006-07-28 at 05:22:19ID: 17200348

actually, I think you need to put a $ sign in front of the WEP key to signify hex.

 

by: bugsbeyPosted on 2006-08-02 at 14:10:47ID: 17237193

I tried $, x and x0 but still can not connect with the WEP turned on. I called Linksys and they informed me that they do not support Mac. What’s up with that?? Has anyone been able to get this to work?

 

by: bugsbeyPosted on 2006-08-02 at 14:12:05ID: 17237204

Sorry, let me try that again... I wish you could edit the comments after posting.

I tried $, x and 0x but still can not connect with the WEP turned on. I called Linksys and they informed me that they do not support Mac. What’s up with that?? Has anyone been able to get this to work?

 

by: strungPosted on 2006-08-02 at 15:31:22ID: 17237770

Are you sure you are using the LinkSys WEP key and not the passphrase? It should be a 10 character hex number. Put a $ sign in front of it.

 

by: walsellersPosted on 2006-08-09 at 20:02:56ID: 17284765

did you try just 'x' before the WEP key?

 

by: walsellersPosted on 2006-09-17 at 15:17:02ID: 17539906

Did you change the SSID of the box?  If you are using the default name of "Linksys", you could be connecting to the wrong access point and never know it.  Apple's selection menu will not show you separate WiFi hubs with the same SSID.  It will assume they are both part of the same distributed network.

 

by: bugsbeyPosted on 2006-09-20 at 10:07:06ID: 17562539

My SSID is not named Linksys or any other default name. I called Linksys and they told me that there products are not guaranteed to work on Mac and they do not support Macs. I used to like Linksys products until I heard that.

 

by: bugsbeyPosted on 2006-09-20 at 10:07:34ID: 17562541

Yes, I tried $, x and x0 but still can not connect with the WEP turned on. I called Linksys and they informed me that they do not support Mac. What’s up with that?? Has anyone been able to get this to work?

 

by: walsellersPosted on 2006-10-04 at 22:21:16ID: 17666008

Just a thought, can you check the antenna connection to be sure its really secure?  Mine looked like a good connection, but it wasn't.

Its kind of grasping at straws, but its worth a shot.

 

by: bugsbeyPosted on 2006-11-10 at 09:50:34ID: 17916300

I got a free D-link after rebate. My Mac's are all able to connect fine now. Thanks for your suggestions!

 

by: jeff_nathanPosted on 2008-06-21 at 14:48:58ID: 21838987

As the author already explained that they aren't using the default SSID, the suggestion for the author to check to ensure he's logging into the correct router is clearly not the correct answer.

Having had the same problem, I opted to use WPA instead of WEP and my Mac (OS X 10.5.3) is able to associate.

 

by: mikerigelPosted on 2008-06-23 at 22:45:55ID: 21852754

I have a Linksys Router w/Vonage and got a new MacBook.  I also use all Linksys routers on my work network.  My MacBook would not connect when WEP was enable unless I added a $ to the beginning of the WEP key.  I am connected fine now.

 

by: Martin1952Posted on 2009-04-26 at 05:38:49ID: 24235917

The above story solved my very similar problem. I added the $ to the beginning of the WEP key on the MacBook.and this allowed it to connect to the Zyxel router my ISP provided when their previous router died. There was no problem for 2 other laptops running Vista. I expected the same problem with an iPhone and iPod Touch as I had with the MacBook but there was no problem connecting them to the Zyxel WITHOUT adding the $ to the beginning of the WEP key.

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