Friday, November 7, 2008

HALP! I need a wireless expert computer geek

I need a geek genius!

I've now got a wireless connection in my computer and I can't find where to set the security....

halp!

Why do these people expect you to know all this crap? The instructions aren't instructive at all!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you go through the wizard in the Control Panel?

'This wizard helps you set up a security-enabled wireless network...'

I haven't used it but it looks good.

kae said...

Er. No.

I'll have a look at it, right after I have my shower.

It's stinking hot up here, well, really humid.

mythusmage said...

You're dealing with engineers, engineers have all the social skills of a 15 year old boy who's just learned nobody can swat him. You're also talking about people incapable of understanding that other people don't know what they know and cannot learn as they learn.

Boy on a bike said...

What are you trying to do with the wireless connection? Do you want to be able to roam around the house with a laptop that's connected to a wireless router, or are you connecting in some other wireless device?

kae said...

Hi Boy.

Well, I got the wireless card thing-bastard in the computer. The modem/router, near the phone (on the other side of the house) has a long blue cord which looks delish to a puppy. It also has wireless. I needed the thing-bastard in the computer to talk with the modem/router so that I could take down the festooned blue ethernet cable (I think that's what it's called).

I found the wireless set up thingy on the control panel and I think I need to tell the modem/router what the WAP is (I think it's a wap).

Then we'll see how we go.

If all else fails, I've still got the cable!

kae said...

Oh, and Mythus, I know what you mean!

I'm supposed to know what all the numbers and crap are that make up all the different IDs everywhere, and know the diff between the IP number and all the rest of them.

Arrgh!

kae said...

Hey, Boy?

The fff doesn't have wireless any more.

It's just ethernet cable now.

I'm too tired to muck around with it.

Arrgh!

Wand said...

Hi Kae

That WAP thingy that you refer to should have been supplied with your wireless modem, i.e., the cable(?) or ADSL(?) modem at the wall.

You certainly need that number, usually an alphanumeric string of about 16 characters, to set up your wireless network - with it you can then set up security on your network, and give it a name etc. Mind you with your location somewhere past the back of beyond, I somehow think that security of your wireless network will not be a concern.

That is of course unless you have a roving band of bikies call by complete with their lap tops all then logging into your unsecured network.

kae said...

Wand, you've been reading too much poetry...

The common cormorant
or shag
lays it's eggs inside a paper bag
The reason
you will see
no doubt
Is to keep the lightning out
But what these unobservent birds
have never noticed is
that herds of wandering bears may come
with buns
and steal the bags to hold their crumbs!

kae said...

Hi Wand
I went into the control panel and from there into the network thingy.
Clicking on the wireless bit there it let me put in some info and tell it that I wanted WAP (or whatever the hell it is). I asked it to magic up the number/code thingy. It did. I printed it.
Then I went back to the router/modem and tried to see where I had to put the info in.

That's when it went pear-shaped.

Anonymous said...

Yet more evidence of your overwhelming stupidity.

Eat a turd.

kae said...

Oh, no, fantasma, after you!

Wand said...

Hi kae,

You said, "I asked it to magic up the number/code thingy. It did. I printed it. Then I went back to the router/modem and tried to see where I had to put the info in."

Huh? You did?

All you should be doing is accessing the wireless wizard from your computer. The wizard should find your wireless modem (at the wall) and should display it as a wireless network that it has found. The name of the network probably will be something like NETGEAR or Motorola and match the brand name of your cable modem. (Im assuming that you do not live in an area blanketed by wireless networks so that your computer would find dozens of them)

You should then attempt to connect to this wireless network and you then step through the security questions. At this point you would be required to enter the full security code (13-16 characters in an alphanumeric string) that have been supplied with the modem. Your computer cannot access this information any other way, so I don't follow what you have managed to do here.

The security code is unique for your cable modem and should have been provided by the supplier (Optus or Telstra or whoever and should be printed on a bit of paper). Once you enter the code into the wireless wizard, your computer would then access the modem and you can set up your own network name, enable security for your network and require passwords (if that's what you want) - hey, gotta prevent those hordes of roving bikies welching on your network.

Anyway, hope this is enough. I'm not taking off my engineer's hat and going for a bike ride. Tips hat to mythusmage .. ps I don't wear the engineer's hat to often. It can attract criticism.

BTW, how's the puppy? Perchance does he like chewing pieces of paper?

Cheers

W

Wand said...

Oops - should have read I'm now taking off my engneer's hat ..

kae said...

Oops, I haven't made it clear.

I have always had the modem/router and a broadband connection with an ethernet cable.
Now I can utilise the router's wireless facility as I have the receiver/transmitter to receive/send the signal from/to the computer. It didn't ask for security, and it's a network thing just between my computer and the router.
Is that clearer?

Boy on a bike said...

I found that because I have an old router and a new PC, none of the encryption methods of security work. It seems they just won't talk the same security language.

I've setup my wireless network using MAC address filtering instead. That means no encryption, but only a PC with the right MAC address can connect to the network. If your bastard-things won't talk to each other, that's a fallback position.

kae said...

I'll have a bit of a chat with my computerey people at work and see if they can tell me what I'm doing wrong.

There wasn't anything in the wizard which mentioned security.

Arrgh!

I really can't be bothered mucking around with it today, it's about30 degrees with 80% humidity, and I have no aircon at home. Not for the environment, but becuz it's dear to run!

Wand said...

Back from bike ride - spattered in mud but the rain was great to ride through. Mind you I kept off the main roads because wet weather can attract f...tards on the road.

Now your comments - yes clearer now.

My guess is that you have initially set up your cable modem and wireless network from your computer using the Ethernet cable in which case you have already entered the full security code. However, my guess is that you have not set up a wireless network name or password. The easiest thing to do probably is to set up your wireless network fully using the Ethernet cable - so when you have named it, specified the security you want and provided a password for access, then disconnect your Ethernet cable. After that, to be sure, I'd suggest you access your Network connection (through the control panel) and disable the active LAN connection(s) that you see. This will prevent your computer trying to access the Internet via the Ethernet cable.

Then go to wireless connections, search for networks and you should see your network, named as you have called it. Then connect to it and supply the password that you have set. Also your network should show that is has security enabled.

All in all pretty easy.

have

kae said...

Hi Wand
I set it up last night doing that, but there was no step which included the security part, I didn't have to enter any password.
I disconnected the ethernet cable and the wireless connection was still there, however when I looked at the info about the wireless connection it said it didn't have security.
Arrgh.

I'll have a play later maybe... I might just have to start again.
Also, I may have done something wrong when trying to set up the security as I entered a name and the one which won't connect is coming up as "THATNAME2", and it's not no. 2!

kae said...

PS Wand,
glad you was careful on your bike.
Lotta nuts on the road.. and it's slippery.. and sometimes they just don't see ya!