From: John Skinner (john_at_johnskinner.net)
Date: Sat Aug 13 2005 - 23:25:25 PDT
On Aug 13, 2005, at 8:27 PM, Frank Gruendel wrote:
> Hi John,
>
>> BUT! You can upgrade a Bronze card to support 128bit WEP!
>> (see my post to NewtonTalk to see details.)
>
> I have just browsed this 38 page thread, but I haven't really
> found any description as to how to do it. I must admit that I
> gave up browsing after the first 10 or so pages.
I know. Let me just tell you that we have it soo good here at
NewtonTalk!
I got soo frustrated with this forum, trying to find the directions
too. I ended up posting a request for someone to just give us the
instructions in one simple post. The forum locals responded by
flaming me, telling me to not be lazy, and that I should read the
whole thread and piece it all together myself!
That is why I decided to put up my own site explaining how to do it.
> Frankly, I'd be much
> happier if I found a way to at least change the firmware version
> of these cards, but I haven't found a way to do it although I
> have spent days on this problem.
Well, that's exactly what my instruction will tell you how to do.
Only after i read, read and re-read through the whole forum, and
trial and error, was I able to piece the right information together
to build these instructions.
The basic method of the hack that the guys on the Netstumbler forum
discovered, is:
Use the right version of the Microsoft driver so that the "Alchemy"
program (writen by a forum member) can re-write the identifier
information on the card (that identifies itself as a Bronze or Silver
type card) so that it identifies itself as a Gold card.
Then you can use the Agere firmware updater (that thinks you now have
a Gold card) to update your card to the most up-to-date version (that
uncludes WEP 128bit and even WPA support!).
Once the firmware and the identification info have been changed, you
have exactly the same thing as a gold card (except the label that's
on the outside of the card)!
> As for the 128bit WEP, are you
> aware of an instruction page that would shed some light on how
> to do this?
I have found no other info anywhere else other than my page (when
it's done) that has this.
Believe me, I was in the same boat as you. I was determined to find
out how to do this.
After I was able to find out how, I thought I should pay back the
information to the world in a way that was a bit easier.
>> I wouldn't try it with your Bronze card until we find out for
>> sure though.
>>
>
> It doesn't matter if I kill it. I have 15 of them, all brand
> new. Apart from that, given the current state of affairs I
> probably wouldn't even NOTICE that I killed it, since it doesn't
> work with anything in my household at the moment anyway.
It seems as though there were two types of Bronze cards. I didn't
know this until now.
(see this site... http://www.modem-help.com/chipsets.php?
mid=119&ncd=13283 )
The original Bronze cards that were 2 Mbps speed, AND the Bronze
Turbo cards that were 11 Mbps speed.
If you have plenty of these cards and they are the "Turbo" version,
well then I would try the process on one of them.
I bet it will work!
I am going to try to finish the site tonight so you will have all the
info you need!
Please let me know what happens!
P.S. The scary thing is that the forum guys discovered that most of
the original 802.11b devices out there used the same chip sets and
all of them are able to be upgraded in the same manor. The only catch
is that you have to manually change the identifier information on non
Lucent, Orinoco or Agere cards so that they identify themselves as one.
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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