WPA and Wireless NIC on Ricohs

[scoobysteve]

Hi,

I've been trying to setup a Ricoh MPC2500 with a 802.11b card onto a wireless network running WPA-PSK (TKIP) as the encryption method. The client is using a Netgear D834G router.

I am able to connect when there is no encryption and when WEP is used. However WPA-PSK just will not work.

I've managed to connect via WPA-PSK when connecting to a different brand router.

So does anyone know how many bits (64,128,256?) of encryption is used in WPA?

I know WEP can be 64 or 128.

any help would be great.

Regards
Steve

[RicohTech_TurksCaicos]

Light Security (8 characters/64 bits)
Minimum Security (20 characters/160 bits)
Maximum WPA Security (63 characters/504 bits)
Custom Size: characters (Must be between 8 and 63)


This is directly from my router
WPA/WPA2-Personal(PSK). WPA means Wireless Protected Access. WPA/WPA2-Personal PSK is a recent standards-based security technique where each packet of information is encrypted with a different code, or key. Since the key is constantly changing, WPA/WPA2 is very secure. The encryption key is generated automatically from a string of characters called the Pass Phrase or the Pre-shared Key (PSK). Obviously the biggest security risk in WPA is if someone finds out your Pass Phrase.
Authentication - Select the method supported by all clients.
WPA-PSK uses TKIP or AES encryption.
WPA2-PSK uses AES encryption.
WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK allows clients to use either WPA-PSK (with TKIP encryption) or WPA2-PSK (with AES encryption).
Encryption Technique - If using WPA-PSK, select the desired Encryption method - TKIP or AES. WPA2-PSK always uses AES encryption. WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK uses TKIP + AES.
Pre-shared Key (PSK) - All clients must use the same PSK. The PSK can be any word or phrase from 8 up to 63 characters. Watch out for upper and lower case differences ("n" is different than "N".) Remember, the easiest way to break your security is for someone to guess your PSK.

[scoobysteve]

Hi,

the length of the PSK is 10 characters long so what you've stated, it is custom.

The only i can get at is that it has to be the amount of bits of encryption that the Netgear Router uses that is causing the issue as my wireless router configured with the same SSID, Channel, Security, Encryption Method and Password works without issue.

thanks for your input.

[schooltech]

There's so much info out there, and I'm trying to read it and remember from college too. If I remember correctly, the specific encryption method you use, WEP, WPA, WPA2, will use the same bit encryption, 64 (but really 48, with 24 bits of overhead for WEP), 128 for WPA, and 256 for WPA2. Not all devices will work with WPA2.

The 8-63 character PSK will affect the hash code that is produced. The bit encryption is still the same. The hash code will be virtually impossible to reverse-engineer, as long as the PSK is long enough, usually 21 digits or more. The actual combinations of brute-force dictionary attacks will take WAY too long to crack. People, though, rarely use a key long enough. I use a 60 digit key, FYI.

If the PSK gets intercepted, then it's all over anyway. There's ways to do it, but you have to be pretty good in the program you're using and understand how to read it to be successful.

Again, this is coming more from memory, because there is so much out there. The algorithms that are used are becoming more complex, and uses stonger programs for the algorithms, and I believe they are bases on the AES algorithm. The PSK I think makes a handshake that goes back and forth a total of 4 or so times to create this 'bond.'

I'm thinking that there may be an incompatible handshake between the wireless card and what the router is being set to. Check to see if it is WPA or WPA2. They are different enough to affect the handshake between each device.

Wireless security has a ton of complex, freakin' intense algorithms with streams, ciphers, handshakes, encryptions, mathematical computations, and more technology than just about anything I've ever taken in college. Personally, I loved it, but because I don't use it everyday, well........

[nmfaxman]

I got the idea of a wireless game adapter to the ethernet port of the copier from this site.
I found one that supports WPA PSK (tkip).
Linksys game adapter. (Hard to find on the web.)
For $90.00 it works great for printing, scanning twain and scanning to e-mail, but Scanrouter won't connect.
Anyone else using this adapter?

[scoobysteve]

what a good suggestion... didnt think of that (seem to do it for usb to parallel and usb to ethernet)..will look into that that..

[nmfaxman]

The Adapter is a Lynksys WG600n.
It sets up in 5 minutes.

[scoobysteve]

thank you so very much.... i will get myself one of these.

[Parlett316]

I'm having the same issue of a Savin C2020 with a 802.11b typeH card not able to connect wireless using WPA.

"WPA authentication has not been complete. (211)

Savin/Ricoh tech support has been no help so far. Using the same credentials I had my laptop connected in no time at all.

[scoobysteve]

Hi,

I think the Savin/ricoh etc wireless cards only support upto 128bits of encryption on their version of WPA. The wireless router might use 256bits and that is the reason why it doesnt work... try another wireless router if you possibly can otherwise, you dont have another other option other than to go wired or use WEP.

[Parlett316]

Hi,

I think the Savin/ricoh etc wireless cards only support upto 128bits of encryption on their version of WPA. The wireless router might use 256bits and that is the reason why it doesnt work... try another wireless router if you possibly can otherwise, you dont have another other option other than to go wired or use WEP.

Figured it out, the signal was not strong enough. That was pretty much it!

[scoobysteve]

thats good to hear... with my scenario, i could connect with WEP and no security without a problem. The MFD was in the same room as the wireless router but still no connection when going WPA (both AES and TKIP).

[Parlett316]

thats good to hear... with my scenario, i could connect with WEP and no security without a problem. The MFD was in the same room as the wireless router but still no connection when going WPA (both AES and TKIP).

I connected a Savin C2020 with the 802.11b TypeH card to both a Linksys 802.11g WAP and a Netgear 802.11g router using WPA-PSK with TKIP.

Are you getting any errors at the machine? Can you see the signal strength?

[scoobysteve]

Funny that as the wireless router giving me trouble was a netgear (not sure which model now). While connected via WEP and no security, my signal strength was close to 100% (wireless router and MFD about 3m apart). just would not work with WPA method.