8.04, cant't connect to wireless net with WEP key

[Mark Greenwood]

On Saturday 04 April 2009 00:27:42 Uwe Brauer wrote:
> Mark Greenwood wrote:
> > On Friday 03 April 2009 23:04:59 Uwe Brauer wrote:
> >> Hello
> >>
> >> this is odd. I can connect to every open wireless net, I even can 
> >> connect to wireless net using WPA 2 keys.
> >>
> >> But I tried to connect to a network with WEP enabled and finally the 
> >> connection gets refused.
> >>
> >> I can perfectly connect using MS XP, so I am wondering that may be 
> >> knetworkmanager does not transmit the key undamaged.
> >>
> >> Or can somebody point me out how to connect to a wireless net with
> >> WEP using other tools than knetworkmanager.
> >>
> >> no nm-applet does not work neither.
> >>
> >> thanks
> >>
> >> Uwe Brauer
> >>
> >>
> > I'm not using 8.04, but I spent literally hours and hours trying to get my wireless to work on 9.04 until I noticed a setting in networkmanager - "Key Type" was set to 'passphrase' by default. I changed it to 'Hex Key' and, since I'd been entering my Hex Key, it suddenly started working. D'Oh! :)
> > 
> > Mark
> > 
> Hm I must ask a very silly question, suppose the key is is set to HEX
> but the passwd is
> MyHexPa55w0rd
> 
> shall I then type MyHexPa55w0rd or the
> hex aquivalent of MyHexPa55w0rd which might be
> 4d 79 48 65 78 50 61 35 35 77 30 72 64
> 
> 
> Uwe
> 
> 
If your key is 'MyHexPa55w0rd' then that is a passphrase, not a hex key.. :) In which case you would need to set Key Type to 'Passphrase'.

I've only ever used Hex Keys - my router gives me the option of a 10-digit hex key (eg 01 23 45 AB CD) or a Passphrase (eg MyHexPa55w0rd). I always use the 10 digit Hex Key because I've always had trouble with getting Passphrases to work.

What happens 'behind the scenes' when you use a passphrase is that some algorithm turns it into a hex key anyway. 

Mark