WEP security of obsolete SoundBridge device and AP NWA-1123-ACv2

Zaxxonid · March 7

Good day,
I have a "somewhat" older piece of HW - specifically, the SoundBridge M1000 radio, which, after being equipped with a wireless CF card, is also capable of wireless connection. Unfortunately, the only possible wifi security (besides the MAC filter) is WEP encryption. I understand that it is already very outdated (and broken) encryption, however, it is the only WIFI connection option of the given device.
However, I have a problem, the device is not able to connect to the NWA1123-ACv2. For about three years I used AP NWA-1121-NI, then NWA-1123-NI and it always worked without problems. I have now replaced it with the NWA-1123-ACv2 (standalone mode) and even with the exact same settings, the SoundBridge refuses to connect to the network. In the NWA-1123-ACv2 log, there is a message "Station: xxx has disassoc by STA Logout on Channel 1, reason 8 (which, as I found out from some discussion, means that the AP received a disassociation from the client). I don't understand. I've probably tried everything (different passwords, channels, radio settings...) all to no avail. I also tried using a second device (again the NWA-1123-ACv2 which I have as a spare) and with the same result. The only progress I have made is that when I change WEB authorization from "shared" to "open", so the SoundBridge connects to the network, but does not get any IP assigned (in the NWA-1123-AC2v2 it says 0.0.0.0 in the device list) and of course the communication does not work. Manually choose the IP address in the SoundBridge not possible.
Just for fun, I pulled out the AP NWA-1122-NI from the closet, tried to set it up and ... SoundBridge connected WITHOUT PROBLEMS on the first try and everything worked. Can you please think of someone what could be the problem? I'm really desperate now. Many thanks for any nudges in the right direction.

Some screenshots:

mMontana · March 7

Simply… Don't.

WEP has been cracked in 3 seconds from a Pentium M processor in 2007. Since 2008 Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) declared WEP insecure, prohibiting installation of devices processing payments via WEP connection from 2009 and actively refusing transactions coming from WEP devices since june 2010.

It's old, it's insecure, has been considered "bad idea" since at least 15 years: WEP was released in 1997, but started spreading in 2001. WPA was released in 2000, WPA2 has been released in 2004. In 3 years WEP was considered "legasy", in 4 WPA has been considered "legacy". Took 14 years for declare WPA3, defining "legacy" WPA2.

I can understand that "perfectly good device" might seem wasted, now, but WEP (as WPA, nowadays) is… bad mojo, because can be cracked easy and macaddress spoofed almost quite as easy. For a internet radio device, IMVHO is… not worth. Sorry.

Zaxxonid · March 8

Thank you very much for your response, but unfortunately it does not answer my question. I'm aware that WEP has long since been broken and is no longer used, but it's still more secure than a network without authorization (so at least anonymous devices - like mobile phones - don't connect there). For example, I can secure network with a separate VLAN, by allowing access only to specific IP addresses outside, possibly limiting the traffic, etc. I definitely don't want to throw out verified, functional and otherwise perfectly usable devices because of this. I'm just surprised that despite the WEP device support in NWA-1123-ACv2 it simply doesn't work ((unlike its predecessor - NWA-1121-NI for example). That's the reason I'm asking here.

And… yes, I was expecting similar reactions, but like I said, I'm aware of it.

Thank you for any help!!!

Zyxel_Judy · March 12

@Zaxxonid ,

It appears that your configuration settings are correct. We replicated your setup here and found that our wireless client was able to successfully connect to the NWA1123v2’s hidden SSID using both WEP shared and open security modes.

Please note, the NWA1123v2 model has reached its End of Life (EOL) status. As a result, our support for this device will be limited. However, we can still assist by providing the latest firmware for the NWA1123v2, which you may download and install to potentially resolve your issue.

Lastly, it’s important to mention that WEP is considered a less secure form of encryption. We strongly recommend considering carefully before using it.

NWA1123-ACv2_Firmware_6.10(ABEL.8)C0.zip

Zaxxonid · March 12

Judy, thank you very much for at least testing the configuration, of course I already have the latest firmware (V.6.10 - ABEL.8)…

…so I have a little suspicion that the problem is in the target device, but when it worked with the previous AP NWA-1121-NI, it doesn't work for me heads why it doesn't work with NWA-1123-ACv2. Thank you very much for your time and response (I understand that the 1123-ACv2 is already an outdated device, so I appreciate any feedback), I will try to deal with it myself...

WEP security of obsolete SoundBridge device and AP NWA-1123-ACv2

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