Apple Airport network, cracking my own WEP key

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Trying to connect to my dad's airport network at home. They're asleep (parents), and dont know shit about computers, so they probably had whoever they bought the airport from install/set it up.

I need the WEP key to get on from my compaq laptop.. it detects everything and is fine (which is a wonder for the shitty ass airport network), but is there a sniffer or something made available to pick up the key?

I have access to one computer on the network.. is there an admin tool on some machine that administers the airport, or will it require this goddamn password?

I have the ID of what I believe is the laptop and the base station ID, which are both 12 digit hexadecimal codes, if that helps

― the wrenchinator, Tuesday, 1 June 2004 05:17 (twenty-one years ago)

You're pretty much fucked if nobody's using the network, I think. Cracking WEP keys relies on sniffing traffic and analysing huge amounts of data.

However, there may be some sort of method for coaxing packets out of the base station. You'll have to do your own research I'm afraid. (a bit of googling should help you - "wep cracking", for a start)

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 05:36 (twenty-one years ago)

how are you connecting right now?

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

if you havethe password for the computer connected you should beable to get the key using the keychain access application.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 06:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Failing all that, it would probably be a lot easier to reset the base station to it's default settings.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 07:51 (twenty-one years ago)

help this dude out

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

four years pass...

so if I want to set up a basic wireless network in my house just to get my laptop on the network, but leave another one wired, do I have to get the airport express with gigabit ethernet?

― akm, Thursday, 15 January 2009 00:51 (sixteen years ago)

how are you connecting right now?
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 06:48 (4 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Questions that need answering.

― The boy with the Arab money (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Thursday, 15 January 2009 01:47 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

how easy is it to extend a wifi network if I'm running the network with an extreme base station? do I just need to like, plug in an express somewhere within the range and it will extend it?

― akm, Monday, 27 September 2010 20:47 (fourteen years ago)

no, you have to set it up to do it. instructions on apple's site

― If Airplanes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport (s1ocki), Monday, 27 September 2010 21:02 (fourteen years ago)

I'm doing this with an express & an extreme---the auto config "wizard" gives this as one of the choices, though I think you have to set up both the base station & the extender to do this; anyway yeah it's very easy.

― Euler, Monday, 27 September 2010 21:04 (fourteen years ago)

good, my patience for dealing with network things is at a minimum. I just moved into a house that has dsl rather than a cable broadband and it sucks.

― akm, Monday, 27 September 2010 23:59 (fourteen years ago)

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