Setting up WPA encryption on Axim X30

[kamadzu4]

I have the Axim X30 with ROM verison A06(05130500EN), and I have been so far unsuccsessful in trying to set it up to work with my router using WPA encryption. I'm using a D-Link DI-524 router with the latest firmware (3.20).

In the router, there is a pull-down of wireless security choices which include WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA2-Auto. For all 3 WPA options, there is then a radio button to select either PSK, which then asks for a passphrase, or EAP (which then asks for the RADIUS server's IP, port, and shared secret).

In Axim's network config, the authentication options are Shared, Open, WPA, and WPA-PSK. For the 2 WPA options, the data encryption choices are WEP and TKIP. Finally, on the 802.11x tab, the option "Use IEEE 802.1x network access control" is checked gray when using either WPA or WPA-PSK authentication (I can't disable it) and the choices for EAP are PEAP and "Smart Card or Certificate".

With my initial (and most likely to work) attempt, I set the router to WPA and PSK mode. I set the Axim to WPA-PSK and TKIP, and the EAP setting to PEAP. I used a simple 8-character (i.e. aaaaaaaa) passcode to avoid typo errors. In this scenario, the Axim seemed to hone in on the router, and all of the fields in the Dell WLAN Utility (Network, Connection, Base Station, Channel, Encryption) became populated with the appropriate values. However, the connection icon at the top (tower with 2 animated arrows) remained animated and never "settled down" as it usually does when a connection is definitively established. Also, in Network Troubleshooting, the IP address did not become set correctly. (Suffice it to say, there was no internet connectivity).

On the router, I then tried the WPA2, and WPA2-Auto settings in PSK mode, however the Axim would no longer hone in on the router with these settings. With the router back in WPA and PSK mode, I tried setting the Axim's data encryption mode to WEP, but in this case the Axim wouldn't hone in on the router either (and if I edited the network key while in WEP mode, no matter what I set it to I would immediately get the message "The network key you entered is not correct. Please try again" - even if the key matched the router's passphrase).

Finally, a quirk in the 802.1x tab is that whether PEAP or "Smart Card or Certificate" EAP mode is selected, when I press Properties, I get this message in either case: "Cannot log on to the wireless network. This network requires a personal certificate to positively identify you." I do know from past experience using WEP that if the "Use IEEE 802.1x network access control" option is checked, nothing will work. However, like I said above, when the authentication is set to WPA-PSK, this option is marked with a gray checkmark that cannot be deselected.


(P.S. Setting the authentication to WPA on the Axim does not seem to be a viable option, as then "The Key is provided for me automatically" option becomes checked gray -- cannot be deselected -- and I'm pretty sure that without a RADIUS server, which I don't have, keys are not being provided automatically).

Thanks for reading if you've made it this far, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[RobMan]

kamadzu4 --- i just recently encrypted my wireless network using the WPA-PSK option. I followed your initial set-up as described above. I found that I, too could not get the connection to lock on.

I now connect using the Odyssey client instead of the Dell wireless utility. Just entered the WPA passkey into the client one time, and voila! I find that fairly frequently when I first press the wireless button to connect to the network, I see all green bars indicating a connection, but the little radio icon you describe does not necessarily connect and hold. I will just tap on the reconnect button in Odyssey client and it connects and holds just fine.

Hope this helps :approve:

[Leviathan400]

i wish my wireless would turn on!

[kamadzu4]

The advice to use the odyssey client worked like a charm! Thanks, RobMan.

[RobMan]

Glad to have helped kamadzu4 :approve:

I've learned so much on these boards, it's nice to be able to help, too.

[bearcat245]

The information was a great help. After seeing an article in PC World about WEP and WPA2 I changed my router security.
Had trouble with my Axim 30 at first and had to manual logon until I followed the Odyssey route.
Thanks for the pint in the right direction.:approve:

[pr5owner]

WPA does not work with the 524 unless you have the latest firmware, i have the 524 and for the life of me i could not getting working on the laptop nor the PDA but when i went to dlinks website it said it had a bug in the stupid firmware so i upgraded the firmware and all the problems went away currently i am using

WPA-PSK + 20char pwd w/ special characters
IP filter
MAC Filter
static DHCP
dynamic DHCP

and everything works PERFECT! never disconnects, pda connects usually within 1-2 seconds of turning the wifi on. same with the laptop.

i used to get that msg about not having a certificate on my laptop but thats because the router is stupid and doesnt handle WPA encryption properly with the old firmware

I've had the same issue with Odyssey

[thombrosmi]

I've had the same issue with Odyssey

Thanks for teaching me about the Odyssey Client! (I figured it was worthless software)

Hopefully I can (sort of) return the favor.
What is the status of your SSID on your router?
When I unhide the SSID, I can connect via the Dell WLAN Utility using WPA-PSK. When I hide the SSID again, it sees the router and gets the DNS servers from it, but it NEVER validates and thus never requests an IP address. Now hopefully someone smarter than me can figure out if it is SUPPOSE to validate. (We know it would be nice, but there could be hardware issues, OS issues, and/or WiFi standards causing it not to validate.)

When my SSID is hidden, the only way I can connect is via the Odyssey Client. (granted the first time I connected via the Odyssey Client is with the SSID NOT hidden - I have since re-hidden the SSID, shut everything down and tried again and it continued to work)

thombrosmi

[ikehiker]

Many people with the X30 found they had to have SSID broadcast in order to connect the first time but that it work (with just the WLAN utility) on subsequent connections with the broadcast disabled.

It obviously not a sure thing but I suspect you could have connected without Odyssey the first time if the SSID was active and probably can now with it turned off.

[fdg99]

kamadzu4 --- i just recently encrypted my wireless network using the WPA-PSK option. I followed your initial set-up as described above. I found that I, too could not get the connection to lock on.

I now connect using the Odyssey client instead of the Dell wireless utility. Just entered the WPA passkey into the client one time, and voila! I find that fairly frequently when I first press the wireless button to connect to the network, I see all green bars indicating a connection, but the little radio icon you describe does not necessarily connect and hold. I will just tap on the reconnect button in Odyssey client and it connects and holds just fine.

Hope this helps :approve:

OK ... the Odyssey Client ... how does one make it show up on the "Connections" tab ... I see it on the System tab but selecting it there appears to do nothing...

I have the latest Bios A06(05130500EN)