EE Bright Box User Manual

71

4.

Click Save Settings:

5.

The router will apply the new settings:

6.

To connect to the non broadcasting SSID, you will have to enter the wireless network

name, security type and security key (wireless password) in the operating system

wireless software manually. For example here is a screenshot from Windows 7 (please

note that exact steps will differ between operating systems):

EE Bright Box User Manual

72

7.

The wireless connection can then be established manually:

You may need to update your computer’s wireless settings to 'Connect even if the

network is not broadcasting its name (SSID)' after making this change. Also if you connect a

new device to the wireless network, you will need to enter the wireless network name (SSID)

into the device manually, or enable the Broadcast SSID option.

Disabling the Broadcast SSID option should not be relied upon as a wireless security

measure by itself. Some software is capable of scanning for non-broadcasting SSID’s and if

wireless security is disabled may be able to connect to your router. Use the Broadcast SSID

setting in conjunction with a strong wireless security mode setting such as WPA to prevent

unwarranted intrusion onto your wireless network.

How to change to wireless WEP security

If you're using a wireless adapter or software that doesn’t support the WPA security standard,

and isn’t able to update software (for example by installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 or 3),

then you may need to set the router to WEP security mode to establish a wireless connection

to the router.

EE Bright Box User Manual

73

WEP security mode is only available as an option in the ‘Security’ dropdown when the

router is in ‘11b+11g’ Wireless Mode.

Please note that WEP mode security is not as secure as the more modern WPA/WPA2

wireless security standard, and should only be used if a device you wish to connect to the

network will only support WEP security mode.

To change to WEP security:

1.

Login to the router’s admin pages.

2.

Click on the Basic Set-Up tab and then select Wireless Settings from the left hand

menu:

3.

Select the ‘Wireless Mode’ dropdown and choose the ‘11b+11g’ option

4.

Select the ‘Security’ dropdown and choose the ‘WEP’ option. Your wireless settings

should look like this:

5.

Scroll down to the Security Setting section of the page and choose the ‘WEP mode’

option. In this example we select ’128-bit’

6.

Select a ‘Key Entry Method’ of ‘HEX’

EE Bright Box User Manual

74

7.

In the ‘Passphrase’ field tick the box and then enter any phrase, in this example we use

‘brightbox’, but enter your own unique one for when you follow this step.

8.

Click the Generate Key button. Your screen should look like the example below:

8.

Make a note of the ‘Key1’ value, in this example with 128-bit HEX mode, a 26-digit

hexadecimal key will be generated. This value will be entered into your wireless software

to make a connection to the wireless network:

9.

Click Save Settings:

10.

The router will apply the new settings:

12.

Now you can connect your wireless computer or devices to your wireless network in WEP

mode. When presented with the option to enter the wireless password, enter the ‘Key1’

value recorded in step 9 (in this example ‘3AE317D4982C4C1AC36ED18936’)

EE Bright Box User Manual

75

The combination of ‘WEP Mode’ and ‘Key Entry Method’ will determine the length and

characters used in the Key field:

•

64-bit/HEX Mode requires a 10 hexadecimal character key (A-F, 0-9)

•

64-bit/ASCII Mode requires a 5 ASCII character key (a-z, A-Z, 0-9)

•

128-bit/HEX Mode requires a 26 hexadecimal character key (A-F, 0-9)

•

128-bit/ASCII Mode requires a 13 ASCII character key (a-z, A-Z, 0-9).

If the ASCII ‘Key Entry Method’ is selected, then the Key field must be entered manually. A

Key can only be automatically generated with a ‘Key Entry Method’ of HEX.

How to change to wireless WPA mode

The most secure wireless security mode on the Bright Box router is WPA (Wi-Fi Protected

Access) and this is the default router setting. It is also possible to select the type of WPA

mode used to secure the wireless connection:

•

WPA/WPA2 Mixed mode is compatible with most operating systems. If an adapter

supports WPA2 mode, it will connect in this more secure mode, if not it will connect in

WPA mode. This is the default router setting.

•

WPA is offers increased compatibility with older operating systems, but wireless speeds

are limited to 54 Mbps.

•

WPA2 offers more security, and up-to 300 Mbps speeds, however isn't compatible with

Windows XP SP2 and below.

To set the Bright Box router to wireless WPA security, do the following:

1.

Login to the router’s admin pages.

2.

Click on the Basic Set-Up tab and then select Wireless Settings from the left hand

menu: