Topic: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

I found an 8" Infocast in a clearance store today, one of those places with tons of BestBuy returns.

I brought it home and plugged it in and it booted normally.  Asked me to set up the network, which I did.

I have a WEP64 network here with a 10 character HEXADECIMAL WEP key. 

It found my named network immediately and asked for the passphrase.  I don't use passphrase which I understand to be a generated by algorithm WEP key, I use a direct input HEX key. 

I entered the WEP key and it failed to connect.  I tried several times, even made sure the alpha chars were in caps.  No difference.

Is the 8" infocast known to work with a HEX WEP 64 network? Or is it trying to generate the WEP key with the digits I put in somehow with an algorithm?

What's going on here?  I have many devices connected to this network with this same WEP key, a WII, android phone, several laptops.  All work fine but not the 8" Infocast.

I read some threads about trouble with this but none had mentioned finding a solution.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

Well, lemme just say.  I moved the thing a little and it connected and works now. Geez. It had good signal (so it said) but couldn't connect. 

So working now.  Gee whiz.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

One day later, and that is the *only* time the unit has been able to successfully connect to my wireless.  I have been trying since and no dice.

It can see the AP,  has full signal strength from the AP and I tested the credentials by connecting with a laptop.  No problems. 

So any ideas? This is frustrating.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

Steevo,
   Come see us in customer support. We can walk you though setting up manual connection for the device. This tends to help in a lot of cases where the chumby is having issues connecting to the router.

http://www.chumby.com/pages/help_support

  -chumbyross

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

I've tried both ways a number of times. Static and DHCP. 

I really got nothing.  The Chumby indicates full strength signal, too. 

I also took the security off and left it open for a while and I still couldn't connect.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

Steevo,
   This time when you do a static IP, make sure you are using an IP address outside of your routers DHCP range, and most importantly, when you enter the DNS addresses, use your ISP's actual DNS addresses, don't just enter the gateway IP of your router. Let me know the results.

-chumbyross

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

I knew that.

I wouldn't statically assign an IP in the DHCP range, I use googles public dns 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4.

I was using a DDWRT router as an AP, but that wasn't working that well so now I am using an actual access point, has only one ethernet.  Not any better though with the chumby. 

My laptop, no problems. 

It inscrutable! 

One thing that gave me pause is the chumby and the nomenclature. 

It calls the wep key "passphrase".  As I mentioned in the OP passphrases are ascii that is used to then generate a HEX key by algorithm.  If the chumby is actually trying to do that this is all not going to work.   Chumby is known to work with a HEX WEP key, 64 bits, right?

That said, I did take alll wifi security off it an it changed nothing.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

Yes, the chumby should work just fine with HEX WEP 64, especially since you already confirmed that it was able to connect once correct?

One other solution I have seen with an issue like this, is on the network selection screen, hit "other" at the bottom and then type in your SSID as if it is not being broadcast. Then go through and set up a manual connection.

While it seems strange, the DNS addresses fixes this issue more times than not. In your router's set up pages, is it configured to use Google's DNS addresses as well, or does that use your ISP's?  If it uses your ISP's, try the manual connection again but use those instead of Google's.

-chumbyross

9 (edited by Steevo 2011-10-14 16:25:20)

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

I got home from work and the darned thing was connected.  I configured it.  That was weird.

Thanks for your help. 

How the heck do you login?  I'm new to chumby, but I always wanted one.

10 (edited by Steevo 2011-10-16 14:04:41)

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

It only connected that one time.
Darn.

While I was out today I went back to that clearance store which seems to be entirely stocked with Bestbuy returns and bought a new Infocast 3.5.  It had never been registered. I brought it home and plugged it in and it worked immediately, connected to the network, I registered it. It wanted to upgrade it's software so I let it.

It worked great and I configured it on the website.  It was playing pandora music. 

Then I went back to it and it's not connected, and it keeps saying wlan0 link is down.  It can see the network fine.  I extended the antenna, but I think that might not be for wlan, or is it?

Anyway, this is awfully frustrating.  I know the WEP key and I have verified it works. I have two units both having the same problem.  Weird. 

I haven't been able to register the Infocast 8 yet, it has a previous registration in it.  I did send you guys an email about that.

11 (edited by Steevo 2011-10-16 14:11:03)

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

The infocast 3.5 first failed to connect a number of times,  then it said something about it couldn't get an IP. 

So I gave it a static IP. 

Now it fails and says wlan0 link is down, failed to obtain IP address, chumby.com is unreachable.
This is interesting because I gave it a static IP.  It shouldn't need to obtain an IP address since I gave it an available one.

I tried using the aforementioned google public DNS and I used my ISP's dns.  No difference.

I think there could be a bug in the chumby software that is not using the static number I told it to use, at least that's what the error message seems to be saying. 

I just clicked back and it has an IP, gateway, SM, DNS and the wep key is correct. 

So I dunno.  I am not having much luck here.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

Steevo wrote:

The infocast 3.5 first failed to connect a number of times,  then it said something about it couldn't get an IP. 

So I gave it a static IP. 

Now it just fails and says chumby.com is unreachable.

I tried using the aforementioned google public DNS and I use my ISP's dns.  No difference.

So I dunno.  I am not having much luck here.

Steevo, I am new to this forum but have been using a Chumby One for over a year.  What kind of router are you using?  Did you restart it?  That often clears some crap stored in them that causes some wierd things to occur such as what you are experiencing.  Some routers just plain don't like come connections to some devices and I have no clue why.  Your original router settings using WEP should have worked fine.  That is exactly what I am using.  I'm using a Linksys WRT54G.

Re: Wifi WEP key troubles with Infocast 8"

Well, I walked by and both chumby units are now connected.  I didn't do anything. 

I gotta learn to use the darned things now that they are working.