D-Link WPA2 and Macs?

[deemery]

I can connect to a D-Link ground station just fine using WPA, but not using WPA2. I get a message like “Network does not support the requested encryption.”

The D-Link configuration gives me 3 choices for encryption, TKIP, AES and Auto. I tried each with no luck. It’s a WBR-1310, running 1.0.4 firmware.

Has anyone gotten a D-Link wireless hub to work with Mac WPA2? How did you do it?

dave

[psteen]

For a little clarification, you are trying to connect a Mac to a D-Link wireless access point (or router)?

If this is the case, I believe that some of the older Macs don’t support WPA2. What model Mac are you attempting to connect with?

[deemery]

The primary connection is from the D-Link WAP (which has an external antenna) to an Airport Express located elsewhere in the house. My OS X Server machine runs iTunes 24×7, sending packets via wired ethernet to the WAP and then WiFi to the Airport Express, then to an FM transmitter connected to the Airport Express’s AirTunes port, for broadcast throughout the house. (The small Airport Express and its FM transmitter are located to get maximum signal strength through the house. Most FM radios suck trying to capture weak FM signals, particularly in a a major metropolitan area with a crowded FM dial…)

The secondary connections are between the D-Link WAP and an Al PowerBook, a MacBook Pro, a PowerPC Mini and a G5, all with Airport Extreme (or better, in the case of the MacBook Pro) cards. Mostly these machines are hard-wired to a (GigE) switch in the basement (where computers are banashed per order of She Who Must Be Obeyed), but occasionally I want to use a laptop in particular somewhere else in the house.

I’ve been able to make a connection using 128-bit WEPI’d much prefer to use WPA2 for its better security. If worse-comes-to-worse, I’ll unlock the whole stupid network, pass only the AirTunes port through the WAP’s firewall, but that’ll prevent the home wireless from being used for the other Macs.

It seems that the D-Link now “loses its mind” every day or so, requiring that I power-cycle it. Fortunately, the Airport Express does automatically reconnect when this happens, but I have to manually reselect the Airport Express in iTunes.

I’m beginning to think that I”ll have to spend more $$ to replace the D-Link WAP with an Apple unit, and frankly I’d rather not have to spend the premium for Apple’s WAP if I can avoid it. (The home office is already way over its IT budget…)

dave

[psteen]

OK, now that I know your setup it makes more sense. I know that upgrading to an N Base Station is expensive, but based on the history of the DLink, it would make sense. With it being unreliable, it would make sense to spend a little bit of money on a setup that will be both reliable, fast, and completely compatible. I have been working with the N’s and have been very impressed with both their reliability and configurability.

-Phil

[Author]

Posts