# problem connecting moto router with wga600n



## travisc (Dec 12, 2008)

I have a motorola wr850g router ( i know it's old) and a wga600n bridge connected to my HR21-100. When i have WPA enabled on my router, the HR21 can't connect to the internet but it does connect to the network. If i have encryption turned off, i can connect with no problem. Any ideas on how i can set this up so i can have my encryption enabled? i tried using a static ip for the bridge but still no luck. the bridge keeps cycling through channels and only connecting to my ssid for roughly 2 seconds at a time. any help is much appreciated! thanks


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## Spanky_Partain (Dec 7, 2006)

I have had a rash of problems with my wireless connection as well and I got really tired of the constant dropping of link. I was using a WRT350n and SMCWEB-n bridge devices. This setup worked great for about a year and now when I look out at the wireless devices in my neighborhood, it is congested and I believe that is my problem. With the dual channel WRT600n, the issue should not be as big. So perhaps if you want to spend some more money and upgrade the Motorola wr850g and get into the real n world things would work better. That would also enable the WPA2 encryption selection. You must be running "N" for WPA2.

On the other hand, I bit the bullet and went hardwire connection everywhere and it was not fun running the CAT5e in a two story house, but the next owner will most likely appreciate it.


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

travisc said:


> I have a motorola wr850g router ( i know it's old) and a wga600n bridge connected to my HR21-100. When i have WPA enabled on my router, the HR21 can't connect to the internet but it does connect to the network. If i have encryption turned off, i can connect with no problem. Any ideas on how i can set this up so i can have my encryption enabled? i tried using a static ip for the bridge but still no luck. the bridge keeps cycling through channels and only connecting to my ssid for roughly 2 seconds at a time. any help is much appreciated! thanks


Try backing the security down to just 128 bit wep. If that works, there may just be an interoperability issue between the router and bridge.

WPA is nice, but in the home environment 128 bit wep with MAC address control and a private ESS ID is more than enough security.


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## travisc (Dec 12, 2008)

i tried 128 bit wep last night and it seems to be working fine now. maybe someday i'll have to update my router to n to catch up with the times. thanks for the help.


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

The 2 quickest and most often unused security measures for wireless are the MAC address control list and the Private ESS ID setting.

By utilizing the MAC address list you can setup the wireless to allow communications with only the MAC addresses of the wireless devices you enter in the table. 
By turning off the broadcasting of the ESS ID (making it Private) you make it less visible to Wireless Network Configuration utilities for wireless devices. 
Combine those with the WEP-128 and you are safe against all but the most determined e-criminals. And if you have something they're after, you should have a few network engineers on staff to help fend them off...


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## Spanky_Partain (Dec 7, 2006)

....and change your base IP address to something like 172.123.123.xxx for the router and all equipment on the network. This will make it virtually imposible for someone to get in...


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## travisc (Dec 12, 2008)

when i try to set up mac filtering, everything works except my ps3. when i try to enter that mac address, my router tells me it is illegal. i've double checked all letters and numbers so everything should be entered correctly. any ideas?


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

travisc said:


> when i try to set up mac filtering, everything works except my ps3. when i try to enter that mac address, my router tells me it is illegal. i've double checked all letters and numbers so everything should be entered correctly. any ideas?


It should be 6 sets of 2 characters (12 total) made up of numbers 0-9 and letters A-F. Anything else is not a legal character.

example: 00-11-AA-22-BB-3C-4D


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## travisc (Dec 12, 2008)

the ps3 mac address is 6 sets of characters 0-9 and A-F. So i have no idea why my router would tell me that it is illegal.


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

travisc said:


> the ps3 mac address is 6 sets of characters 0-9 and A-F. So i have no idea why my router would tell me that it is illegal.


PM me the address if you want, I'll try entering it in my router and see if it takes.


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## Spanky_Partain (Dec 7, 2006)

Are you plugging your PS3 into a game adpater for a wireless connection?

PS3 => WGAxxx => wireless connection => wireless router

If this is the case, check the setting to clone and make sure it is turned off. Then add both MAC addtresses the wireless game adapter and the PS3.


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## travisc (Dec 12, 2008)

no i don't have an adapter hooked to the ps3. i use the wireless card supplied internally with the ps3. when it connects to my router w/o mac filtering, it shows the mac address and connects just fine. but when i try to enter the mac address into the router, it tells me it is illegal. stupid motorola.


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

Only thing I can think of is to see if there is a firmware update available for the router. Maybe there was a bug in the version you have.


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