can't get online wirelessly via Apple Time Capsule

I posted this over in the Toshiba forum but I think it might be more appropriate here. I have a Toshiba M45-S351 (wireless card is an Intel 2200BG) and an Apple Time Capsule. I am unable to get online with the Toshiba when I am connected to the Time Capsule wirelessly; however, I can get online if I connect the Toshiba to the Time Capsule with an ethernet cable. Also, I can get online wirelessly if I turn off encryption on my Time Capsule (obviously I don't want to do that permanently). I can also get online if I connect to any of the unprotected wireless networks available to me. This leads me to believe that there is something about the encryption that my Toshiba doesn't like. My time capsule's encryption is set to WEP (I can't change it WPA because I have certain devices that don't support that level of encryption); however, for some reason my Toshiba sees the encryption as WPA2 (this is in the Wireless Network Connection dialog). I don't think this is necessarily a problem because I can get the Toshiba to connect to the Time Capsule. Also, I have several other devices (including a Lenovo laptop running XP and two Series 3 Tivos) that see my network as WPA2 as well but they have no problem getting online.

I've tried everything I can think of on the laptop (releasing and renewing my IP address, removing the wireless network and re-adding it, removing and reinstalling the wirless card, etc.) but nothing seems to work. I have the most updated driver for the wireless card (9.0.4.39) so I can't imagine that it doesn't support WEP encryption. Also, since I can get online wirelessly when there's no encryption, the wireless card must be working. Still, there must be a setting somewhere that needs to be changed or flushed out so that I can get online wirelessly via the Time Capsule. I'm kind of stuck at this point and don't know what else to try. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

It definitely sounds like an issue with the Toshiba laptop but it boggles my mind that it doesn't support WEP. That can't be; if anything it won't support WPA but it should most definitely support WEP.

The only thing I could think of to suggest is to 1) Try setting the encryption on the Capsule to WPA and do the same for the laptop if it supports it just to test to see if it would connect, then you can change it back to WEP and test again. 2) Try deleting the Time Capsules Wireless network from your laptops preferred list by following these steps. Then try searching for the Capsule's Wireless network again and try to re-connect. Finally 3) I would try manually adding the Capsule's network via the same link in my step 2 above; in the preferred list section. Or go in there and manually change it from WPA to WEP encryption. Do not go past step 6.3 in the link above! The link is just there for guidance in getting into the said location.

 

Thank you very much for the response. Other than changing the encryption on my Time Capsule (which I don't want to do because I have a couple of wireless bridges that are very finicky to set up and I'm scared to screw up those connections), I tried all of your suggestions and I still cannot get online. This is so frustrating because this shouldn't be that difficult. Like you said, there's no way that the wireless card doesn't support WEP encryption so that can't be it. I'm lost at this point.

 

Apple hates you. Apple doesn't have to do things the way the rest of the world does, because Apple is Apple and everything else is just not as cool as Apple...just ask any Apple user.

Because Apple is cooler than you, you must follow the Apple way.

Go here and worship the mighty Apple (we are not worthy)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1126

Sounds like you need to type in your keys a little differently.

I hate Apple.

 

@gerryf19:

Don't bottle up your feelings, man, let us know how you really feel; we can take it!

 

I looked at the article you linked - didn't help. I still have the same problem and I don't know what else to try. Any ideas?

 

maybe I misunderstood---first, for the sake of the argument--let's say you are using WEP 64bit and your passey is 123pass

You entered "123pass" as your wepkey?

 

No - I entered it without the quotes (that's what has worked on my other computers/devices as well). I tried it with the quotes as well and my wireless card seemed to go crazy - it wouldn't even recognize any of the wireless networks that are within range.

 

tat was just an example--do you use a ascii or hexadecimal key

 

ascii - it's a 13-character key

 

I got nothing....it is probably something right in front of you that you are just missing. I'd probably tear the whole network down and start from scratch.

 

Well I'm happy to report that once I changed the encryption for my Time Capsule to WPA2, my Toshiba is able to connect to it and get online. I guess I'll never know exactly what the problem was but I don't really care at this point. I guess one good thing to come out of this is that my wireless network is now more secuure, so I feel good about that. Thank you for all of your help!