I'll try and explain this as simply as I can. I have 4 machines in the house. One wired, 3 wireless. Those 4 machines all conected to a Netgear router which required a password key to sign in first time. I set the password key myself in the router settings. Then it broke and I had to get another router, also a Netgear, but a different model. I did the settings the same way and used the same password key when I set it up. Today my grandaughter brought over her laptop which had never been connected here before at my house. I clicked on her laptop to find available networks, found mine and entered the key. It said it wasn't valid and that it required the 8 number key from under the router (which it gave the name and model number of). I don't use that for the 3 machines in the house. Even entering the 8 numbers it said it couldn't connect. Any ideas why 4 machines will connect via the router with a key I chose myself but a 'new to my house' machine won't? I ended up just connecting by an ethernet cable from the router to her laptop so I could check out her laptop for her. No problems that way.
As Cudni suggests in Post #2 maybe mac filtering is enabled. And the 'new to my house' Wireless Adapters Mac Address is not present in the Wireless Mac Address Filter of the Router thus preventing Access to the Router.....Also note that the 'new to my house' machine is not part of the Home Network "Workgroup" and is considered an foreign connection to the Existing Home Network in regards to File and Printer Sharing. In other words, If Wireless Mac Address Filtering is Enabled in the Router, then All Computers, including Guest Computers, must have their Wireless Adapters Mac Address included in the Routers Wireless Mac Address Filter or they can not connect to the Routers Wireless Service Module, Also, All computers in an Home Network must all have the same "Workgroup Name" to connect to that Network if File and Printer Sharing are desired. By Enabling the Wireless Mac Address Filter in the Router and adding all of the Wireless Adapters Mac Addresses that are part of the Existing Home Network, including the Guest Computers Wireless Adapters Mac Address and Running the Wireless Network Setup Wizard on the "New Computer" will solve the problem, also the Network Wizard is required to be run at least once on an "Brand New Computer" before Microsoft Windows can Network properly. If it is an Hard Wired Connection, run the Network Setup Wizard, if it is an Wireless Connection, run the Wireless Network Setup Wizard, one can then choose from the Wizards to allow or disallow File and Printer Sharing for That Particular Computer, Guest or any computer in the Home Network. Both Wizards can be run at any time, over and over again. When the Network Wizard's change the Network Connection Name, simply Rename the Connection back to whatever you choose. Also, it might not be your preference to have the 'new to my house' machine to be part of your Existing Home Network with File and Printer Sharing, whether it be an Hard Wired or Wireless Connection, so I suggest the following: If Static IP Addresses are preferred for the Home Network: (My Preference) Set the DHCP Server of the Router with an starting IP Address of 192.168.1.211 and allowing only six IP Addresses to be assigned to the Home Network. This allows for DHCP Service to only six computers in the Existing Home Network. Four of them for the existing computers, if needed, and two for Guest Computers. The Routers DHCP Service Range is now 192.168.1.211 to 192.168.1.216. Also Enable and Add the Mac Addresses of the three Wireless Adapters to the Wireless Mac Address Filter to prevent foreign Wireless Connections from accessing the Router. Set the Routers DHCP Server to assign the Routers IP Address as the DNS Server to all of the Routers DHCP Clients, (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) or Open DNS, Norton DNS, or whatever your preference of DNS Server Service is. By Default the DHCP Service of the Router uses the Internet Service Providers DNS Servers IP Addresses if these fields are left Blank. NOTE: The above setup acts as an "safety net" in case one of the four computers for whatever reason might need to be configured to 'Obtain an IP Address Automatically' reserving two DHCP Addresses for 'Guest Computers'. This setup also allows for an Static IP Address to be safely assigned to an Device such as an Network Printer or Backup Device without conflicting with the Routers DHCP Assignment of IP Addreses. The Static IP Address must be outside of the DHCP Range of 192.168.1.211 to 192.168.1.216. In other words, any IP Address below 192.168.1.211 and any IP Address above 192.168.1.216 can be safely used as an Static IP Address without conflicting with the Routers DHCP Assignment. Set each computers Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties for all four computers in the Home Network to use an Static, Permanent IP Address starting with: 192.168.1.111 192.168.1.112 192.168.1.113 192.168.1.114 Set the Default Gateway to the IP Address of the Router (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) Set the DNS Servers to the IP Address of the Router (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) OR Set the Default DNS Server to your Internet Service Providers DNS Servers, or Open DNS Servers IP Addresses, or to Norton DNS Servers IP Addresses, or to the DNS Server IP Addresses of your preference. Right Click the Home Network Internet Connection and choose 'Repair' and Reboot the Computer. Repeat for all computers in the Home Network. If the Router's DHCP Service with Automatic IP Address Assignment is preferred for the Home Network: Set the DHCP Server of the Router with an starting IP Address of 192.168.1.211 and allowing only six IP Addresses to be assigned to the Home Network. This allows for DHCP Service to only six computers in the Existing Home Network. Four of them for the Existing computers, and two for Guest Computers. The Routers DHCP Service Range is now 192.168.1.211 to 192.168.1.216 Also Enable and Add the Mac Addresses of the three Wireless Adapters to the Wireless Mac Address Filter to prevent foreign Wireless Connections from accessing the Router. Set the Routers DHCP Server to assign the Routers IP Address as the DNS Server to all of the Routers DHCP Clients, (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) or Open DNS, Norton DNS, or whatever your preference of DNS Server Service is. By Default the DHCP Service of the Router uses the Internet Service Providers DNS Servers IP Addresses if these fields are left Blank. NOTE: The above setup acts as an "safety net" if one chooses to revert to an Static IP Address or needs an Static IP Address for an Device such as an Network Printer or Backup Device. The Static IP Address must be outside of the DHCP Range of 192.168.1.211 to 192.168.1.216. In other words, any IP Address below 192.168.1.211 and any IP Address above 192.168.1.216 can be safely used as an Static IP Address without conflicting with the Router's DHCP Assignment. Set each computers Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties for all four computers in the Home Network to use the DHCP Service of the Router: Set the Computers Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties to "Obtain an IP Address Automatically". Set the Computers Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties to "Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically" Right Click the Home Network Internet Connection and choose 'Repair' and Reboot the Computer. Repeat for all computers in the Home Network. -END OF ROUTER AND EXISTING HOME NETWORK SETUP- Now.....For any Guest Computer or the 'new to my house' machine, Start by adding the Mac Address of the Guest Computers Wireless Network Adapter to the Routers Wireless Mac Address Filter so that the Guest Computer can access the Router. Set the Guest Computers Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties to "Obtain an IP Address Automatically". Set the Guest Computers Internet Protocol TCP/IP Properties to "Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically". Set the Workgroup of the Guest Computer to "Guest" preventing access to the Home Network Computers, or leave the Guest Computers Workgroup "as is" as long as the Guest Computers Workgroup is not the same as the Existing Home Network Workgroup to prevent access to the Home Network Computers. If File and Printer Sharing is preferred with the Guest Computer, then set the Guest Computers Workgroup Name to the same Workgroup Name as all the other computers in the Existing Home Network. OR, AND PREFERRED: Start by adding the Mac Address of the Guest Computers Wireless Network Adapter to the Routers Wireless Mac Address Filter so that the Guest Computer can access the Router. Run the Guest Computers Wireless Network Setup Wizard. In the Setup Wizard Disable File and Printer Sharing assigning the Guest Computer in the Workgroup "Guest" or leave the Guest Computers Workgroup "as is" as long as the Guest Computers Workgroup is not the same as the Existing Home Network Workgroup to prevent access to the Home Network Computers. If File and Printer Sharing is preferred with the Guest Computer in the Existing Home Network, then in the Setup Wizard Enable File and Printer Sharing and assign the Guest Computer the Same Workgroup Name as all of the other computers in the Existing Home Network. Search for Avaliable Wireless Networks, add the Password and the Computer will connect to the Router, the Routers DHCP Server will configure the following to the Guest Computer with an: IP Address of 192.168.1.211 Default Gateway of (the routers IP address, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) DHCP Server of (the routers IP address, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) DNS Servers of (the routers IP address, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) or the specified DNS Servers listed in the Routers DHCP Setup, or the Default using the Internet Service Providers DNS if the fields have been left Blank in the Routers DHCP Setup. Sorry for the Long Post. HKEY1952
what type of encryption are you using? sounds like your GD's was WEP, what did you set your other wireless devices up as
I have seen that before as well. I got the "key" from the router, and entered it on the prompt and it did work. It never asked me for it again, from any computer, only that once. This was on a Dlink router. I remember reading up on it, but it slips my mind now what it was exactly. It could be that the clients that had previously connected already had thier information intact, and a new router did not change that, but the new computer never hooked to the old router needed that "key". There is a name for that "key" and that sequence. I found it and looked it up. If I were you, I would search that topic a little bit more to find the answer. By default no router I have ever seen uses MAC filtering. Every router I have interfaced to has had fairly typical settings, so that they are easy to use for novice users. It is nice to know all the other advanced details, but I think it is likely to be more simplistic myself. Most of the newer routers that have wifi have that key, at least the ones I have seen. It might be the type of encryption used, that seems to be a vague memory in my head Sul.
what type of encryption are you using? sounds like your GD's was WEP, what did you set your other wireless devices up as thanks
