# Cannot connect Wirelessly



## kimbolan (Sep 24, 2007)

Hi
First Question - I have a MacBook and I have it set up to connect to the internet via Airport. I also have a wireless router connecting my desktop and my Playstation 3. The only problem is when my MacBook picks up the signal of my router it asks for the WEP password. I don't remember setting up a password when I originally hooked up the router, and the Playstation or the desktop don't ask for this proir to connecting. Is there any way to find out what my password is - or a way to reset the password?

Second Question - Although My computer is set up to conecct via Airport, sometimes it says "cannot connect to the internet", and when I check network diagnostics, it says Im trying to conecct via built-in ethernet. I don't even know what an ethernet is, and when I switch the configuration back to Airport, it asks me the WEP password again. It seems the only time I don't have a problem connecting to the internet is when I'm near a hotspot, or a neighbor is connected that doesn't require a password to feed off their signal. Help!


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## Pensacola Tiger (Apr 23, 2006)

kimbolan said:


> Hi
> First Question - I have a MacBook and I have it set up to connect to the internet via Airport. I also have a wireless router connecting my desktop and my Playstation 3. The only problem is when my MacBook picks up the signal of my router it asks for the WEP password. I don't remember setting up a password when I originally hooked up the router, and the Playstation or the desktop don't ask for this proir to connecting. Is there any way to find out what my password is - or a way to reset the password?
> 
> Second Question - Although My computer is set up to conecct via Airport, sometimes it says "cannot connect to the internet", and when I check network diagnostics, it says Im trying to conecct via built-in ethernet. I don't even know what an ethernet is, and when I switch the configuration back to Airport, it asks me the WEP password again. It seems the only time I don't have a problem connecting to the internet is when I'm near a hotspot, or a neighbor is connected that doesn't require a password to feed off their signal. Help!


Refer to your wireless router documentation for the instructions for setting/removing a password, if indeed you have one set.

Just a guess, but I'd bet you never configured the router - just took it out of the box and plugged it in, right? If so, you should take the time to configure it now, including changing the SSID. I suspect that your problem may just be that the MacBook is trying to connect to a neighbor's router which is password protected.

I'll also note that running your router without encryption is a risky thing, as you never know who will connect up to your router and be able to see everything on it.

Ethernet is a hard-wired network connection. When your MacBook cannot connect wirelessly, it is trying to connect in any way it can. Since you are not hard-wired, it can't, hence the diagnostic.

BTW, if you are interested, there are many websites that have basic tutorials on networking:

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Wireless_Networking


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