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[gajahduduk]

I am having no luck getting an old MBP running 10.4.11 (updated with combo update) to connect to WPA-Personal "guest" network using a Dlink 655 router. (The Airport Utility version is 4.1.1.)



I can get to the WPA options in from the airport menu item.  But everything I try results in an error connecting.

The pre-shared key above is an 11 character pass phrase.  I've tried also a 13 character one.

I enter the pass phrase with the password option.  I've also tried using a "$" before it, and also tried converting the pass phrase to hex using online generators and using the hex option.  Nothing seems to work.  Is there a definitive answer here? 

[FurryNutz]

Link>Welcome!

• What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under the router case.
• Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on the routers web page under status.
• What region are you located?

Wireless Configurations

• Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or WPA2 and Auto TPIK and AES.

Remove any saved Wireless profiles then set them up again from OSX wireless settings.

[gajahduduk]

Link>Welcome!

• What Hardware version is your router? Look at sticker under the router case.
• Link>What Firmware version is currently loaded? Found on the routers web page under status.
• What region are you located?

Wireless Configurations

• Preferred security is WPA-Personal. WPA2/AES Only. Some WiFi adapters don't support AES, so you might want to try TPIK only or WPA2 and Auto TPIK and AES.

Remove any saved Wireless profiles then set them up again from OSX wireless settings.

Thanks for your response.  This is driving me bonkers.  Nothing at all works.

The client Mac has no wireless profiles.

Hardware version of router: A4
Firmware: 1.33NA (note: have purposely not upgraded past this because had some problem with a newer version and downgraded)
Region: ?? - in the US?

One bit of new info is when I get a new/different error when the settings are:

Security mode: WPA-Personal
WPA Mode: WPA2 only
Cipher Type: TKIP only or AES only or  TKIP and AES)

The new error is:

"The wireless network...does not support the requested encryption method."

This is distinct from every other combination I've tried, which results in a simple "error connecting".
The security mode options are: None, WEP, WPA-Personal, and WPA-Enterprise.  I've tried only WEP and WPA-Personal. "None" is not a viable option. Have not yet tried enterprise.

The WPA Mode options are:  Auto (WPA & WPA2), WPA Only, and WPA2 Only

Another relevant bit of info is this:
Previously I could connect to the network with this Mac when the overall 802.11 Mode was set to b,g only.  I needed to change that to mixed b,g,n for other purposes.  The general settings (as opposed to the guest zone settings above) are:

Security mode: WPA-Personal
WPA-mode:  Auto (WPA or WPA2)
Cipher: TKIP and AES

My original thinking had been to set a different security for the guest zone. I'd use WEP because it was b,g only. But then I learned that using WEP for the guest zone would limit the whole router to b,g (not also n).  So that's when I tried messing with these WPA-Personal settings for the guest zone.

[FurryNutz]

There should be a option for NONE or OFF? Not listed under Security with WPA Personal and Enterprise? Should be an option there.

Test with WPA2 and AES only, then try WPA and TPIK only and see...

If this fails then we might look at upgrading FW.

[gajahduduk]

Yes, I can set security to off, and in that case it connects fine.  Both of the tests you mention I've tried already – and just tried again to make sure – and the result is either a "can't connect" error or an unsupported auth method error, as before.

Rather nervous about upgrading firmware. From what I can tell I last installed 1.36, and soon after that downgraded to 1.33, for reasons I can no longer recall.  But it would have been a significant issue for me to go thru the trouble of downgrading.  Is there any reason to believe that would solve this problem?  It seems that OS X 10.4 (Tiger) just flails if there is any N network enabled at all.  Unless it's possible to set the Guest Zone to limited to B/G with a newer firmware?

[FurryNutz]

So if you disable Guest Zone all together, does OSX work on the main WiFi with WPA or WPA2 enabled?

[gajahduduk]

So if you disable Guest Zone all together, does OSX work on the main WiFi with WPA or WPA2 enabled?

No. It's not OS X, it's OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger). It's an old version of OS X, that never played well with WPA2 in the first place. But WPA should work in theory, but it does not, either for the guest zone or for the main network, as long as mixed b/g/n is enabled. It works fine, even with WPA2, when mixed b/g is enabled.  Problem is I now require "n".

[FurryNutz]

OSX is in reference to your OSX version.

Any chance you can update the OSX version to the next version?

[gajahduduk]

I can go up to 10.5 in theory. As I recall, 10.4 was much more stable than 10.5.  But given that my main use for that laptop has to do with networking, I suppose I'll give it a go and report back.  Thanks for the suggestion.  Edit: boo, turns out that leopard (10.5) is not supported on this powerbook. Apparently there are ways to achieve an unsupported installation, but for now that's more than I want to get into.

Still curious about any indication that the 1.37 firmware would give me different results.

[FurryNutz]

You could try v1.37 and test it out. Since your router at on v1.3x you could go back to your currently loaded version I believe with out any hassle.

Please always use this for upgrading or downgrading FW:
FW Update Process

OSX 10.4 is getting old and along with 10.5 and 10.6, thus there maybe some incompatibilities with in the OS as well. I'd give v1.37 a try and see.

[gajahduduk]

Updated to 1.37NA and have the same issues. So far no adverse effects noticed at least.

I've basically given up here – I'm convinced that with n enabled on the router, no security method will work with this PPC/Powerbook on 10.4.11. (after upgrading the router's firmware, and after updating Airport Utility on the PB, every conceivable combo of WPA/WPA2/TKIP/AES has still failed.)

It connects with no security enabled, and it connects when router is set to b/g mixed.  I'm trying to figure out why with no security in N mode it works, if the sheer fact that it's set to b/g/n is supposedly a problem.

FYI, the wifi (airport) card in the PB is v9.5.2 and supports b only.

[FurryNutz]

Only thing I can mention is to get a DWA-131 USB adapter. What I had to get for my old iBook with 10.4 loaded. That model adapter had the last known working drivers for 10.4.

PPC based computers were limited up to 10.4 and that was it. You can't install any more resent versions of OSX since apple converted to Intel based OSX on 10.5.

If the computer has a LAN connection you could connect a wired cable to a Bridge device:
Bridge Mode vs Relay vs Access Point (AP) / Routers vs Dedicated Access Points (AP)
Take advantage of the LAN port speeds while your at home with a bridge. Use the 131 adapter while mobile.

[gajahduduk]

I ended up buying a tiny little $12 USB Wireless N adaptor from EDUP (EDUP EP-N1528 300Mbps Wireless WiFi Network 802.11n/g/b LAN USB Adapter Card).

Had to download their driver specifically for OS X Tiger, and connect via their software rather than AirPort.  I found WPA2/TKIP worked fine (tho WPA2/AES did not).

[FurryNutz]

There ya go. Glad you go something that works.

Enjoy.