thats where the problem is

shes not willing to change it to WPA

It's too bad your mother won't change. Not only is WPA more secure, it seems to me to be easier!

I have just connected (on Ubuntu using Gome) using 64 bit (aka 40 bit) WEP. Let me describe what I did. If you are using 128 bit and still can't get it too work, let me know and I will try that.

I realize the router you're using has already been set up for you, but let me start with describing setting up my router. I am using a Netgear WGR614v8 router. After selecting 64 bit WEP with Authentication type set to "automatic," I was given the option of either entering a passphrase, from which four keys would be generated or entering hexadecimal values in the keys directly. I entered a passphrase. Radio buttons provided for the selection of one of the four keys. I left the selection for the first key and "applied" the changes.

When I told Ubuntu to connect to that access point, (via nm-applet), the encryption type was detected as WEP but I still had to manually select one of three choices (I'm doing this from memory so I might slip up slightly): 1)128 bit 2) 64 bit hex 3) 64 bit ASCII. I chose 64 bit hex and entered the 10 hex digits that the router had generated for key #1. There was one other setting (which I forget) which I left at its default value. I then proceeded to connect without problem.

hmmm, that seems different then how i do it, use network manager, then i edit the connection to WEP 128 bit, type in passphrase, then click connect, it rompts for the passphrase AGAIN, i eneter, it almost conects, then prompts for it AGAIN, i go to type it in and rtelize that somthing has already been entered there, example, if thew passphrase is X001000XX00100X, it shows that y00y100000y is entered, im not sure how it came up with this, but its not it, so i enter the correct passphrase and it asks for it again, same problem, malicious circle,

I've now connected with 128 bit WEP which I'll document here. You can see the images by clicking on the appropriate links. I would suggest bringing up the images in separate tabs or windows.

Again, for completeness I'll start with configuring the router. I realize the one you're using is already configured and the configuration screens may look different anyway. This image shows the successive steps with the router. The first panel shows I've entered the passphrase: maryLittleLAMB. Clicking generate yeilds the middle panel and clicking apply yields the final panel.

This image shows the filled-in dialog brought up by nm-applet when I asked to connect. Clicking Login to Network, after a little delay, brings up the Connection Estalished tooltip.

While I am connecting, the nm-applet icon changes to some kind of clockwise circular motion with two dots that eventually, in sequence, turn green. I discovered that if a gave the wrong passphrase (forgot which characters I had capitalized! ) the first light would (surprisingly!) still turn green but eventually the connection would fail with the reappearance of the dialog asking for the passphrase. Unlike your experience, there was nothing already filled in. But I am (probably) using a different version of nm-applet than you are. From previous mishaps, I know that the first light turning green but then the reappearance of the dialog can also be cause by no DHCP server being available on the subnet. (Usually DHCP is handled by the router, but it can be configured otherwise.)




(In case anyone -- with malicious intent or not -- is wondering, the above WEP configuration and passphrase are history and my router is now back to a WPA2 configuration. )

I am trying to get the same card to work. I have the acx module installed but it is not listing the card. The output of "lsmod"

acx 144200 0
usbcore 122096 7 acx,usb_storage,usbmouse,usbhid,ehci_hcd,ohci_hc

The card is detected and I can see it in the hardware list. It lists it as PCI bus with module acx. Why doesn't it show up in lsmod? The output of "lspci"

02:0a.0 Network controller: Texas Instruments ACX 111 54Mbps Wireless Interface

When I go to add a new wireless hardware device, it does not list it. It indicates that I can add a windows driver with ndiswrapper. I just built the acx driver, and installed the module. Why can't it find the card? When I built it, I left both the PCI and USB options as they were.