Re: Rebuilding Simple Home Network - Finding Highest Security Level Avail on Ea Comp

You'll have to use Device Manager to determine your Wireless card
vendor/model # and research it's security capabilities on the vendor
website. The other makeshift way to tell is through the Wireless Net
connection properties, Wireless Networks, Preferred Networks -
Select any existing Wireless Network, Properties. The Network
Authentication field will have a table of support Security Protocols. If
WPA2 or WPA2-PSK isn't shown the NIC isn't capable of that
security level.

For an XP machine to be able to use/access WPA2 requires a
hotfix to be applied.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=662BB74D-E7C1-48D6-95EE-1459234F4483&displaylang=en&displaylang=en


"CT" <CThompson.FL@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1f5f5f3b-9447-490a-ba13-880e412481e0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Mar 6, 6:08 pm, "John" <a> wrote:
"CT" <CThompson...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:fa2e4a0f-c399-450d-a70e-6abb2017c961@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

What "security" are you referring to? Wireless security? Windows XP
(firewall) security?

Wireless security, I guess. The only security I'm aware of is located
only in the router's setup, online. The Linksys WRT54GX2 router is
configured with WPA/WPA2 Personal, with WPA enabled and WPA2 disabled.
TKIP encryption. But I thought I read that both computers on the
network (during set up) must be configured to use the same security
level? Can't mix WEP and WPA for instance.

Ok, so WiFi security it is. That is correct, you can't set your Linksys
to
use WPA and your laptop to use WEP or WPA2 for instance. If you set
Linksys
to use WPA (preferably WPA2 if your laptop WLAN card supports it), you
must
also set your laptop computer to use WPA security.

I would like to increase my security from WPA to the highest
available. So, that brings us back to my original question:
How do I find the highest security level available on each computer['s
WLAN card]? Where do I look? In the paperwork? In the system
somewhere?

The computers:
Desktop: WinXP Professional SP2 (Generic build), built a few years
ago. No paperwork or discs at all came with it.
Laptop: WinXP Media Center Edition(Pro) SP2 (HP Compaq Presario)
bought last year. Maybe some paperwork and discs (have yet to pull its
file from the file cabinet and look at it)


The part that I don't understand on your post is "...both computers". If
I
understand you correctly, you have 2 computers (judging by your other
posts)... 1 wired and the other wireless. If that is correct, you won't
even
have to worry about the wired PC. Configure Linksys to use WPA2 with AES
encryption, enter/create a shared key.


You understand me correctly. The desktop is wired to the router, the
laptop is connected wirelessly. I'm using the laptop and Gmail right
now, wirelessly. I can wirelessly print from the laptop to the two
printers wired to the desktop and share files (properly) only one way
- desktop can SAVE and share files to laptop, laptop cannot SAVE, only
share and only if I type the \\computer name\folder into the address
bar in My Network Places so the file appears under Entire Network .

I was told here: http://tinyurl.com/2knlmv that I need to rebuild my
network from scratch because my laptop is not on the same workgroup
(WORKGROUP) as the desktop (MSHOME). The first step I'm supposed to
perform is, "remove all the networks" (for which I have another post
going to find out what this means).

Quote: "Configure Linksys to use WPA2 with AES encryption, enter/
create a shared key."

Shouldn't I first find out if the laptop's WLAN card supports WPA2
with AES? This is my goal with this posting. To find out how/where to
get this information.

Next step is to turn on your laptop. It will detect a wireless network
name
(which is yours). Double click to join (or connect to) your Linksys
router.
You'll be prompted for a shared key. Type in exactly the same key you put
on
Linksys router. That is it.

This is what I did the first time in setting up the network. The
shared key is identical to the router's. The only thing, it seems,
that I messed up was placing the laptop in its own separate workgroup
called WORKGROUP instead of placing it with the desktop in MSHOME. :-
(

If I can get my questions answered, then I will be able to rebuild (or
simply fix?) this network the way it should be:

With more meaningful Computer and User names.
With the highest possible security level (to be determined).
With both computers on the same workgroup.

Thanks.
Cheryl :-)


.

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