Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Finding a wireless network is a process known as
scanning
, which in
wpa_gui
is activated by
clicking the Scan button at the bottom-right of the window. This will pop up a second win-
dow, showing the results of the scan (see Figure 5-5). Look through the list to find the name
of your wireless network—which, hopefully, will also be the strongest in the list, as shown by
the signal column—and double-click on its entry.
Figure 5-5:
Choosing a
wireless network
in wpa_gui
The window that appears when you double-click on a network asks for several different set-
tings, which will depend on the type of network to which you are trying to connect (see
Figure 5-6). For an unencrypted network—which is a bad thing to be running as it allows
anybody within range to use your network—
wpa_gui
will require no additional settings;
just click the Add button at the bottom.
If your network uses encryption, you will need to choose the type of encryption, using the
Authentication and Encryption drop-down lists. In most cases,
wpa_gui
will have selected
these values automatically. If so, simply type in the password—known as a
pre-shared key—
in the box labelled PSK and click Add . If the network encryption is
Wired Equivalent Privacy
(WEP)
rather than the more secure
Wireless Protected Access
(
WPA
)
type, you will need to fill
in at least one key in the WEP keys section. If you use an authenticated enterprise network,
you can also add the details of your identity, password and encryption certificate, but most
home users will not need these fields.
