Linksys WBP54G bridge WEP authentication and firmware

Question

Hello,
I'm working Linksys WBP54G bridges and am having problems in a couple areas. One is that when configuring WEP 128 for the bridge, the utility refuses to allow more than 16 characters being entered for the passphrase even though 128 bit WEP allows up to 26 characters. I'm trying to connect the bridge to an existing wireless network that uses 26 character passphrase. I know that WEP is outdated but reconfiguring the network is not an option unfortunately.
Is there a way to enter 26 characters or is there a update for the bridge setup utility?
This was already asked in an earlier thread, but I'll ask it too, the utility doesn't work in Vista or above, it only works for XP. Is there an update in the works?
Appreciate it,
Thank you
Alex McLin

Answer 1

Hi,
As initial remark, please allow me to question the usage of WEP as it is the weakest security method and not recomended if you really want to secure your network.
Regarding the configuration itself, it would really help a bit more if you could show the full config.
For the part shared, i noticed that you are using 128bit key, however please keep in mind that for the creation of a 128-bit WEP link, Cisco products only interact       with other Cisco products, so if your PC does not have a cisco card it may not connect.
As in everything i would start by the basic:
- configure no security method -> does the client associate fine and gets IP address?
- If yes, move to the security settings -> try with a 40 bit key -> does it work and the PC gets IP address?
If you decide to go for a better security setting like WPA or WPA2, you can find here usefull examples:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/customer/products/ps6521/prod_configuration_examples_list.html.
HTH,
Tiago
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