X51v WPA Wifi Problems

[ksong12]

Hi guys,
I have an Belkin N1 Vision router, and I'm having problems using either the Dell program OR the Odyssey Client to connect.

If I disable WPA completely, or switch it to WEP, it works, but otherwise, it seems to be stuck in an endless loop. Anybody have WPA on? What router settings are you using?

I've tried to turn off 802.1e, turn on Protected Mode, switch it to 20MHZ and 20/40MHZ mode, TKIP, and TKIP/AES mode, and WPA/WPA2 Personal.

If WPA/WPA2 Personal is on, then it doesn't even get to the Connected phase. If it is on WPA Personal only, then it says Connected, but then goes back to Scanning, and the cycle starts again.

I think I had the same problem with my old Netgear, maybe that was with WEP though. Any help? WPA works fine with 5 laptops, and my iPhone (notably, all 802.11g devices)

[AKAJohnDoe]

I am running an X51V (WM5) on a D-Link DI-624 that runs in mixed B/G mode with WPA-PSK-TKIP.

[ksong12]

Hmm...... I've heard lots of reports, most of them working.

I heard one from a Belkin Pre-N router (mine is pre-N as well), that does not work. I wonder why it doesn't work :( I've been tweaking for a long time now, can't seem to find any settings that work definitvely beyond disabling security.

[DJUnreal]

Anyone know of any more advanced Wifi utilities?

[ksong12]

Odyssey is probably as advanced as they get. It doesn't work for me, unfortuantely.

[eyesineyes]

Hi guys,
I have an Belkin N1 Vision router, and I'm having problems using either the Dell program OR the Odyssey Client to connect.

If I disable WPA completely, or switch it to WEP, it works, but otherwise, it seems to be stuck in an endless loop. Anybody have WPA on? What router settings are you using?

I've tried to turn off 802.1e, turn on Protected Mode, switch it to 20MHZ and 20/40MHZ mode, TKIP, and TKIP/AES mode, and WPA/WPA2 Personal.

If WPA/WPA2 Personal is on, then it doesn't even get to the Connected phase. If it is on WPA Personal only, then it says Connected, but then goes back to Scanning, and the cycle starts again.

I think I had the same problem with my old Netgear, maybe that was with WEP though. Any help? WPA works fine with 5 laptops, and my iPhone (notably, all 802.11g devices)

Have you tried to update your OS to the latest version?
Drivers & Downloads

[Zoandar]

Hi. I am having the exact same problem, with a D-Link Extreme N wireless router and my X51v. I don't have an iPhone, but otherwise the wifi works just fine on this notebook I am using, and another notebook, and I can access it easily with the Axim if I turn off the WPA encryption. With encryption on, the Axim will report that it is connected. I can even see a signal strength in the Dell WLAN utility, and it is a very strong signal. But I can't send/receive any data.

There seems to be some problem with entering the WPA key. That field on the Axim won't accept more than 13 characters. When I later reduced the key to 8 characters for easier editing (the field also will NOT allow "paste". Really stupid design decision when dealing with long keys!!) I would change it to an 8 character key I had set on the router, and when I would go back into the Axim to re-check the key, there would be 13 asterisks in the field again instead of 8. Of course, I can't see what they are, so I have no way of knowing what it keeps resetting itself to.

eyesineyes, are you also having that issue as well?

I found a 2003 post that dealt with editing a registry key and copying and pasting a "root certificate". However, it seems there is no way to actually copy a certificate on the Axim X51v, and the post's path description to certificates (supposely ON an X51v) is wrong, despite the follow-up post that says it fixed the guy's problems. So that won't work here.

I have a feeling it is going to be all about either the WPA key, certificates, or both, but I don't have enough info yet to figure it out. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[ksong12]

Yep, seems like my issue. I believe that the Axim accepts the beyong 8 character keys, but they just scroll back, so you can't see them (they are there, just they all look the same). They took out copy and paste after WM2003 for "security" when they took out the WiFi syncing as well.

Where is this forum post? Maybe we can garner some info from it. It definately supports past 8 chacters, btw, my school's key is a whopping 63 characters long, and it works, although it was a pain in the a** to type on both the Axim and the iPhone.

[Zoandar]

I have managed to get the X51v to connect and stay connected now. I am keeping a log of this whole affair, so I can tell you exactly how my router and how the Axim are configured, setting by setting, if this proves to be the solution.

But at the moment, it is only partly solved. Here is where I am:

Router:

-Mixed b,g, and N modes.
-SSID broadcasting turned off
-Auto WPA or WPA2 encryption as needed
-TKIP cipher ( I think this was an important step. I had it on TKP+AES before, and I don't think the Axim does AES, but not yet sure.
-Pre-Shared Key (PSK) in use.

The Axim:

There are multiple ways to access these settings, and I believe I have tried them all times 10. In fact, I think it is now a problem. More on that in a bit.

By accessing the Dell Adapter in the Settings / Connections / Network Cards on the Axim, I set the following:

-I can use either DHCP or Static IP on the Axim, it doesn't matter. The router is set up with DHCP .
-Authentication - WPA-PSK
-Data Encryption - TKIP
-Network Key - set to something shorter than my original 64 character key, for the time being while I test things. Whoever removed the paste function here needs an appointment with some vise-grips. :-)

[ Note: I did uncover deep in the heart of another forum post somewhere that it is "normal" for the Axim to show exactly 13 asterisks in this field once it is set, regardless of how many characters are actually entered in the key. I found this at first to be a confusing "problem" I was trying to solve. So glad to learn it will do that no matter what you set the key to, even if you use less than 13 characters. When I finally solve this, I'll go back with the full 64 character string. ]

With things set as above, I get a nice solid connection to the wireless router. I can print to my printer, which I have on a D-Link DP-301U wireless print server so my whole LAN can use it, from the two applications I have that are capable of printing from the Axim - PocketShot ( prints captured screen images) and PocketClipPrint ( prints clipboard text), but both operations seem more sluggish than I am used to from my previous un-protected Wi-Fi use.

Internet Explorer on the Axim will run, but when I try to go to somewhere in Google, or a saved favorite (which all worked on the unsecured wi-fi rather quickly) it just grinds to a halt and sits there. I then get sporadic balloon text errors popping up that say "Cannot connect with current connection settings."

As mentioned above, I have really raided the network settings repeatedly, both in the format above, and in the Odyssey utility. I also downloaded and installed Wi-Fi Companion and tired that (which I feel was a waste of time. It just puts a familiar face on the other 2 methods.) Plus, I had tried 2 different Registry hacks I read about, neither of which worked. In short, I think maybe the Axim could use a nice clean rebuild from a Hard Reset about now. So that is my plan. but as soon as I do the Hard reset, and get the initial Axim setup out of the way, I will again try wireless access. Hopefully these settings above, without further fiddling, will get me connected. Then I can go on and re-install things.

I didn't save the post I referred to, but I can dig it back up and post the URL if you really want it. But none of it worked for me. Even the registry editor they suggested doesn't work on the Axim. I am using the trial version of Rescoe Explorer 2007. It works very nicely. I think the fact that it was 5 years ago may be why. They must have evolved the WM5 OS since then. It said once you hacked this registry key then you could "copy your root certificate" and paste it somewhere else to gain access. But according to my D-Link router's help file, if you use the WPA-PSK route, you don't need certificates anyway. Indeed, once I set that style of encryption on the router, I stopped getting the "a personal certificate is required" pop-up message on the Axim. So I really don't think there was anything in there that would be helpful.

Back here a while later to report that, once I Hard Reset the Axim, it now connects to the router and seems to work fine.........for about 20 seconds. Then it drops the signal for 1-3 seconds, picks it back up, and stays connected for exactly another 20 seconds. This keeps repeating. I timed it digitally, and it is happening exactly 20 seconds from the time it connects.

Anyone have any ideas on that?

I managed to type in my 64 char. WPA key, and it is using that now. I just need to figure out why it wants to re-acquire in 20 second intervals. This notebook, when on Wi-Fi, doesn't do that. It stays connected. So I am guessing it is the Axim and not the router.

[ikehiker]

Do you have Power save in the WLAN disabled? Having it active can cause the disconnects.

[P.S. I was going to mention the 13 asterisks in the key field as being 'normal' and not an issue since that is true for WEP keys.]

[ksong12]

Yes, it is disabled. I'll try putting it onto TKIP only; I also had it on TKIP+AES. I think I already tried that though; I remember having to reconfigure all of my computers because they had been using AES. Didn't help the Axim anymore. Certificates only apply on Enterprise WPA, such as the type my school uses (that really annoys me as well :))

I'll try again anyhow.

[Zoandar]

I, too, turn off the power conservation for the WLAN. No sense ASKING for an intermittent connection. :)

Well, for what it is worth, after 3 days of forum snorkeling, settings orgies, and a HR and complete rebuild, I can say that I can keep my Axim X51v reliably connected and surfing........ IF I stay away from all forms of WPA encryption. Everything lesser (that the Axim has settings for) works just fine.

Although the WPA encryption settings are THERE, the device hardware doesn't seem to support it. Unless you consider constant signal dropouts and reconnections like clockwork every 20 seconds to be "working".

I have yet to find a single post that describes getting WPA to work. Dell, among many other forums, has about a dozen folks with the same issue, dating all the way back to ROM A01, in 2005, and sadly only 2 of those posts had any replies, and none were from Dell or anyone who knew what to do. I am running ROM A12. One would think TWELVE version upgrades might encompass a fix for problems that old.

It is safe to say that support for Dell's Axim line is in the hands of the users now. Dell is ignoring us. :( Sort of like Microsoft. I can't say I am surprised. The WM5 OS has a lot of issues that Microsoft played ostrich to as well, not the least of which is their totally miserable alarm handler. Apparently it is so hard to develop for that I have never been able to persuade any 3rd party vendors for software such as Pocket Informant to just ditch the WM5 alarm handler and code their own from scratch. It is the only thing I miss from my earlier Palm OS days. There were some programmers who worked around the Palm "miserable" alarm handler and wrote some that actually worked.

One last note. I did find a lot of posts from folks with new WM6 OS devices that are still having this same issue trying to use WPA encryption. So it may be a problem with the WM OS itself.

Do you fellows know if it is possible to run a WEP encrypted Linksys WRT54G router connected solely as a wireless access point to a wireless N router running WPA encryption, and have them on at the same time? If so, I have that option. I read something about doing a similar thing, and they said that, applied to this theoretical case, the device accessing the Linksys would not be able to access the devices hard wired to the wireless N. But no one said if the wireless N wi fi could also be used. I don't want to restrict my notebook access to the older Linksys. I got the D-Link Extreme N to replace it because it was so unstable.

Anyway, if you would like any details on the settings I am using for the WEP encrypted Axim, say the word and I'll get them on here.

[DJUnreal]

Hi. I am having the exact same problem, with a D-Link Extreme N wireless router and my X51v. I don't have an iPhone, but otherwise the wifi works just fine on this notebook I am using, and another notebook, and I can access it easily with the Axim if I turn off the WPA encryption. With encryption on, the Axim will report that it is connected. I can even see a signal strength in the Dell WLAN utility, and it is a very strong signal. But I can't send/receive any data.

There seems to be some problem with entering the WPA key. That field on the Axim won't accept more than 13 characters. When I later reduced the key to 8 characters for easier editing (the field also will NOT allow "paste". Really stupid design decision when dealing with long keys!!)

Yep, seems like my issue. I believe that the Axim accepts the beyong 8 character keys, but they just scroll back, so you can't see them (they are there, just they all look the same). They took out copy and paste after WM2003 for "security" when they took out the WiFi syncing as well.

Where is this forum post? Maybe we can garner some info from it. It definately supports past 8 chacters, btw, my school's key is a whopping 63 characters long, and it works, although it was a pain in the a** to type on both the Axim and the iPhone.

Incorrect. You can't right-click (tap+hold) and pick paste, but on your soft keyboard, tap ctrl and then tap v ;) Worked for me anyway! And when have M$ ever gotten 'security' right?

Do you fellows know if it is possible to run a WEP encrypted Linksys WRT54G router connected solely as a wireless access point to a wireless N router running WPA encryption, and have them on at the same time? If so, I have that option. I read something about doping a similar thing, and they said that, applied to this theoretical case, the device accessing the Linksys would not be able to access the devices hard wired to the wireless N. But no one said of the wireless N wi fi could also be used. I don't want to restrict my notebook access to the older Linksys. I got the D-Link Extreme N to replace it because it was so unstable.

Anyway, if you would like any details on the settings I am using for the WEP encrypted Axim, say the word and I'll get them on here.

Yes. Your WRT (especially if you download the WhiteRussian firmware for it) should support 'wireless bridge' mode. Alternatively, you can just set it up to use no internet connection of it's own, use it as an intelligent wifi-enabled switch, and by disabling the DHCP/DNS server options, you can force the whole network to use the information from your N router. The only thing you'd be using it for would be a wireless bridge.

Contact me directly for more info on that!!!

[ikehiker]

I don't think 'wireless bridge' is a proper designation for what he wants to do. 'Access point' is more accurate.

To use a router as an access point, you need to disable the DHCP, set a static IP to something in the D-Link's IP set (probably 192.168.0.x where x is something other than 1), set the wireless channel to something different from that used on the D-Link (if D-Link is set to 6, use 1 or 11 on the Linksys), give it a different SSID, set the IP range on the D-Link DHCP so it excludes the one used by the Linksys, plug an ethernet cable from one of the LAN ports on the Linksys (not the WAN) to one of the LAN ports on the D-Link (this may require a crossover cable but I think the Linksys is auto sensing so a normal cable should work).

In this setup, the D-Link should supply the Axim with an IP but in some cases, you need to set a static IP on the device.

An alternative is to leave the Linksys as a router and just let it use the 192.168.1.x IP set (since that's the default setting while the D-Link uses 192.168.0.x). In this setup, the WAN port on the Linksys is connected to a LAN port on the D-Link. You still need to make sure the D-Link and Linksys are on different channels (again, just use 1, 6, or 11 since all other channels overlap one or more of these three). If you do this, I would also check to see what DNS numbers are used by the D-Link (these are provided by your ISP) and set the Linksys to use these same numbers. Otherwise, the Linksys will be using the D-Link's IP as the DNS and it can cause sufficient lag that the Axim may time out before reaching web pages and you'll get a 'page not found' error. This setup would preclude the Axim from accessing shared folders on your D-Link network but web access should work OK.

[Zoandar]

Thank you both for the suggestions!!

Since Ikehiker spelled it out in his post, I think I would try that first. It sounds like exactly what I want. I intend to allow everyone else that uses wifi here to have access directly the D-Link router, and only use the Linksys as an AP for the Axim, since it won't play nice with the WPA I want to use on the D-Link. I could also set the Linksys so that it ONLY allows the MAC ID of the Axim, just to add some extra security.

I'll let you know how it goes when I get time to set it all up.

Thanks!