# Macbook connection



## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

I have a new Macbook and want to connect it to my current home network. The network is listed when I go through the Connection procedure. However it asks for a "password" and when I enter my password, I get a message that the password is invalid. Should I enter my password or my WEP key and is there a special way of entering it? OR what should I enter.

I can connect to an unsecured WiFi.

Any help will be appreciated.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

If you're connecting to a wireless network, you'll need to specify the WEP or WPA key for that network. Do you have the security key or passphrase for the wireless network?

Peace...


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## bearone2 (Jun 4, 2004)

key for wep/wpa, whatever you're using.

my son added a macbook and only had to enter the key.


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

tomdkat said:


> If you're connecting to a wireless network, you'll need to specify the WEP or WPA key for that network. Do you have the security key or passphrase for the wireless network?
> 
> Peace...


Yes, I have a WEP key, entered that and still had an "invalid password" message, and no connection.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

For a WEP key, I HIGHLY suggest entering the HEX key and not the ASCII passphrase. If you can, login to your wireless router and locate the HEX key for WEP and enter that when prompted on your Mac for the wireless security key. The WEP key will be a long series of letters and numbers and you will need to write it down carefully. If you were using WPA security, the key issue would be a little easier since you could use the same passphrase that was configured in the wireless router.

Peace...


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

tomdkat said:


> For a WEP key, I HIGHLY suggest entering the HEX key and not the ASCII passphrase. If you can, login to your wireless router and locate the HEX key for WEP and enter that when prompted on your Mac for the wireless security key. The WEP key will be a long series of letters and numbers and you will need to write it down carefully. If you were using WPA security, the key issue would be a little easier since you could use the same passphrase that was configured in the wireless router.
> 
> Peace...


Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. What's a HEX key and an ASCII passphrase?

I've entered the WEP quite accurately several times and I always get"Invalid Password". and why does it keep using the word "Password" not "key"?

Thanks for your help


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## SoltoN (Jul 5, 2007)

It says password instead of key because wep is generally considered to be an outdated and insecure method of securing a wireless network. In fact, even the strongest 128 bit WEP keys can be cracked in less than 60 seconds.

http://www.shawnhogan.com/2006/08/how-to-crack-128-bit-wireless-networks.html

I suggest logging in to your router and changing the security type to WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK, as these are the only methods of securing a wireless router that are actually secure.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. What's a HEX key and an ASCII passphrase?


Ok, when setting up a router to use WEP security you can sometimes enter the security code in plain text (ASCII), like this:

thisismypassword

That will then be converted into a hexidecimal string of letters and numbers based on if you're using 64-it or 128-bit WEP encryption, like this:

a723c34ba8d34ac91bf347e

as an example.



> I've entered the WEP quite accurately several times and I always get"Invalid Password". and why does it keep using the word "Password" not "key"?


This means the WEP key you're entering doesn't match what the router wants. You're gonna have to look at your router's configuration to see what the correct WEP key actually is. Do you have another Mac that connects to the wireless network?

If you change the security from WEP to WPA, your security code can be easier for you to remember and thus enter as needed.

Peace...


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks Tomdkat. But, I am entering a Hex key and it is correct. I've entered it numerous times, printed it, copied and pasted it. It is correct. I've read somewhere that you have to enter a $ sign or put the password in "" quotation marks before the password. However, I've tried all that.

Also I can get a wireless connection from my neighbour's system, no problem there, but his is not secure. But I can't access mine. Maybe the problem is due to something in my wireless / router setup?

My wireless / router system works fine for the 2 PCs and a printer that I have as a network, it's just the Macbook that can't connect wirelessly.

To repeat, it will connect when I use an Ethernet cable, but that's not what I need.

Thanks again for your assistance.


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## SoltoN (Jul 5, 2007)

try switching your encryption to WPA instead of WEP. Its more secure, and its a word that you make up, so its easier to remember. I bet it will work after you change it.


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

Sorry but I don't know how to change to WPA instead of WEP. Also at present everything on my networks works perfectly. I am very loathe to change things and then discover that my other computers and my printer do not connect.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> Thanks Tomdkat. But, I am entering a Hex key and it is correct. I've entered it numerous times, printed it, copied and pasted it. It is correct.


Ok, from where did you print it or copy it to paste it?



> My wireless / router system works fine for the 2 PCs and a printer that I have as a network, it's just the Macbook that can't connect wirelessly.


Are these PCs connected to the router using Ethernet cables or wirelessly? What make/model router are you using?

Peace...


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> Sorry but I don't know how to change to WPA instead of WEP. Also at present everything on my networks works perfectly. I am very loathe to change things and then discover that my other computers and my printer do not connect.


If the printer and other machines have wired connections to the router, changing the security type won't affect them at all.

Peace...


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

I copied it from my Windows PC which is connected, pasted it to Notepad and printed it. Why is this important?

One PC is connected using a wired Ethernet and the other is wireless.

I have a Livebox which is supplied in Europe by Orange.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> I copied it from my Windows PC which is connected, pasted it to Notepad and printed it. Why is this important?


Because getting the WEP key from a source that is known to work increases the chances of you entering the correct WEP key on your Mac.  If you didn't have any other wireless connected computers, the next step would be to have you login to the router itself and get the WEP key.

How many characters is the WEP key you're entering into your Mac? If I was in front of your Mac, I would be counting the length of the WEP key to make sure I had the proper length, etc. If you do change from WEP to WPA, you WILL have to make sure your Windows machine supports WPA and you will have to enter the new security code.

So, short of changing the wireless security of your wireless network, we'll have to focus on the WEP key you're entering on the Mac.

Based on this article from the Apple website, you will need to prefix your WEP key with a dollar sign.

So, if your WEP key is this:

a723c34ba8d34ac91bf347e

you would enter it as this:

$a723c34ba8d34ac91bf347e

I know you said you tried this before but I don't know if you used both a dollar sign AND quotes or what you actually did.

This thread address a problem similar to yours and gives info on how to resolve the problem. Please post the exact make and model of your router and we can help you get your router config updated, if necessary.

Lastly, here is a page that shows how to configure a 64-bit WEP key. If your WEP key is 26 characters long, you have a 128-bit WEP key. A 64-bit WEP key will be shorter in length, I believe.

So, give the info above a try, post your router make/model, and let us know the length of your WEP key and we'll see if we can get this figured out. 

Peace...


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

Thanks again tomdkat; I really appreciate your efforts in helping me. Everyone told me that it was easy to use a Mac and that Internet connections would be simple and almost automatic. in my case it is proving to be far from easy.

I assure you that I have entered the WEB key correctly. Having entered it many times, I'd be sure to get one correct!. It is 26 characters long and I always check that is is 26. I have tried to enter it with a $ sign prefixed and separately in quotation marks, and with a dollar sign AND quotation marks and any combination of the two.

My router is a Livebox, supplied as part of a Internet package by Orange (previously Wanadoo) in Europe.

I have never had any problems connecting other, older PCs to this box and have used it without any problems for several years (until this MacBook came along!)

I do not want to reconfigure everything and end up with my main PC network not working as this is my personal and main computer system.

The reason I'm (trying) to use the MacBook is for a charity that needs some help, which I volunteered for.

I'll try the thread you suggest and let you know the outcome.

Mike


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> Thanks again tomdkat; I really appreciate your efforts in helping me. Everyone told me that it was easy to use a Mac and that Internet connections would be simple and almost automatic. in my case it is proving to be far from easy.


Well, if this ends up being a router configuration issue then it's not necessarily a problem on the Mac side. We'll see if you can get logged into your router and find out more about how it's configured. 



> I assure you that I have entered the WEB key correctly. Having entered it many times, I'd be sure to get one correct!. It is 26 characters long and I always check that is is 26. I have tried to enter it with a $ sign prefixed and separately in quotation marks, and with a dollar sign AND quotation marks and any combination of the two.


Great! This means you have a WEP 128-bit hex key so the double quotes won't be needed since those are for an ASCII passphrase. $[WEP hex key here] should have worked unless your router isn't in "Open System" mode.



> My router is a Livebox, supplied as part of a Internet package by Orange (previously Wanadoo) in Europe.


Ok.



> I do not want to reconfigure everything and end up with my main PC network not working as this is my personal and main computer system.


Hopefully, it won't come to that. Do you by chance have a manual for your Livebox router?

Peace...


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

Is the Livebox router a DSL modem as well?

Peace...


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

Yes it is a DSL modem.

I don't have a manual, except for the instruction booklet which tells me how to set up for a PC.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> Yes it is a DSL modem.


Great. This might be a problem. I know some of the 2WIRE DSL modems w/ routers don't support anything more than 64-bit WEP so WPA might not be an option for you. If the booklet you have doesn't cover accessing the router's configuration interface, you might be stuck.

We should both do searches on "Mac OS X and Livebox ADSL modem" and see if we find any hits.

Peace...


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## MikeStevens (Nov 21, 2006)

tomdkat: I searched for Livebox and MacBook and found several so-called solutions. They all include entering the WEP or WPA key. I'll call the Orange support people.

Thanks again for your many efforts.

Mike


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

MikeStevens said:


> tomdkat: I searched for Livebox and MacBook and found several so-called solutions. They all include entering the WEP or WPA key. I'll call the Orange support people.


When you speak with them, find out if you can configure the Livebox router to use "Open System" for WEP authentication. In the threads I linked to above, people seemed to have success with that.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Peace...


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## bearone2 (Jun 4, 2004)

tomdkat said:


> Because getting the WEP key from a source that is known to work increases the chances of you entering the correct WEP key on your Mac.  If you didn't have any other wireless connected computers, the next step would be to have you login to the router itself and get the WEP key.
> 
> How many characters is the WEP key you're entering into your Mac? If I was in front of your Mac, I would be counting the length of the WEP key to make sure I had the proper length, etc. If you do change from WEP to WPA, you WILL have to make sure your Windows machine supports WPA and you will have to enter the new security code.
> 
> ...


bogus info on the $ for the wep key. check my earlier post. my son just used the 10 digit key.

thru my wireless/linksys 54grouter setup page i can change the wep configuration and i used open/64b/10 hex....and used all numbers.

try reconfiguring the router to the 64/10 config, then the mac and it should work. the 128/26 may be an issue. kiss/keep it simple......

i use the computer for banking/transferring funds/paying bills and am not to concerned that wep isn't considered to be safe.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

bearone2 said:


> bogus info on the $ for the wep key. check my earlier post. my son just used the 10 digit key.


According to the last link I posted, 0x should be used to prefix a 64-bit WEP key. The info on using the dollar sign came from Apple directly. Since you're not using a 128-bit WEP key, maybe you didn't need the dollar sign.



> thru my wireless/linksys 54grouter setup page i can change the wep configuration and i used open/64b/10 hex....and used all numbers.


I think the key here is your use of an "Open System" for the WEP authentication. That jives with others who have had success in getting connected to wireless networks using WEP authentication.

Hopefully, he can configure his router similarly.

Peace...


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## bearone2 (Jun 4, 2004)

just remember, this stuff is all magic.


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