Wireless Network Won't Let Me On

I am using a wireless network in my apartment complex. The router, owned by a neighbor, is about forty feet away, and I get a moderate connection (not red, but yellow). I have entered the WEP key. However, the Internet is not working.

The router is a Netgear 108 MBPS WGT624 and I am using a Netgear Rangemax 108 MBPS USB adapter. Netgear has no free customer service (!), but when I asked at the store where I bought the adapter, I was told that the network may only allow specific MAC addresses.

I have looked on my neighbor's computer and the Netgear software does not appear to be installed; I am assuming the connection was set up using the Windows wireless wizard. I do not want to mess up this network as it is already installed, and it is unclear to me how I might fix it to allow my MAC address. (If in fact this is the only plausible problem? Anybody?)

Any ideas are appreciated. I need the Internet like I need coffee.

Thank you.

 

Do you have your neighbors permission to access his network?

The only software required to access the router is a browser. Your neighbor will have to connect to the router, usually password protected, and look at the MAC filter list. In my experience, it is a little unusual to have WPA encryption and MAC filtering, but I guess your neighbor wanted it for some reason. Perhaps the WPA passphrase was compromized?

 

Thanks.

Yes, I have permission. I talked to the neighbor who set it up and he thought that there should be no problem.

Sounds like I'll have to have him help me access the router page.

Was the Staples associate correct in saying that if I have a yellow connection (up to 6/8 dots on the Netgear adapter's connection guage), it's not a problem on my end? Assuming of course that I have the WEP password and everything.

I'm just trying to figure out all the possible problems since my current Internet access is ten miles away from the one I'm trying to set up. Because this means I only get to work on it a couple times a day.


One other thing: He said that once I put in the longer password (64 bits), I should only have to use a smaller password for the network (it's basically abc123). However, I have in the 64 bit password and it has never asked for a different one. Could this be the problem?

Steven

 

Not necessarily. Signal strength is relative to the distance you are away from the router and the solid objects that are in the way of the signal. You could be 20 feet away from the router but ar going through concrete walls with foil backed insulation and you signal strength would be very low.

I have not heard of this. The passphrase you use with WPA IS the only passphrase that will work.