Background: we have verizon fios with a verizon (actiontec) router feeding 4 wireless laptops and 3 wired desktops. These machines have a variety of OS - XP home, XP media, XP Pro, Vista home, and Vista business.

We received a blueray player for Christmas. The blueray player apparently uses WPA encryption and the router is set up by default with WEP encryption. The player has identified the network just fine and shows a strong signal but I can't sign on because of the encryption deal. The blueray player people say that I need to change my router over to WPA encryption for it to work.

My question is does this mean that all the computers need the encryption changed as well for them to remain working on the wireless? How hard is this to do in the various operating systems? I want to get this blueray/netflix player working, but if I screw up our home network, it won't be pretty.

Thanks

Yes, all computers accessing your router will have to change once you chnage the encryption to WPA. The good news is that you should be able to choose an easy to remember password for the WPA setting--once it's changes you will have to rescan for your router's network name (I think..I'm more of a Mac guy...it might happen automatically) and then re-enter the password. it should be fairly smooth. WPA is more secure then WEP so that's a better choice. Good luck!

1. Yes you will need to change the encryption protocols of all of the devices to match that of the router.

2. It could be VERY easy or not so much, depending upon the software you use to do it (Windows or the OEM). The better software makes it easy to put in a passphrase. The problem is when you have five devices with five different ways to set up the same wireless encryption, with five different names for exactly the same thing.

To make this as easy as possible for yourself:

1. Locate all of your documentation first. If you don't have instructions for a particular device, go on line and download it from the manufacturer.
2. Plan out how you're going to do the changeover.
3. WRITE DOWN all passphrases and passwords and keep them in one place.
4. Make sure that the default password for the router isn't still in place. I was working on my cousin's system a couple of night's ago and discovered that the brain damaged welder who set it up had left the default password "admin" on the router. Default passwords are probably the FIRST exploit tried by malicious hackers.

Thanks for the replies.

Does WPA use a different ID/password method? Wep used the wep key which is of course printed on the router.

Is there an ID # and a password # with wpa?

Will the 'name' of our network have to change or does that remain the same?

Thanks

Do I need to go into each wireless machine and change the encryption method to WPA in one of the menus prior to re-start, but pre router change, or will it automatically switch over to WPA and come up after the router change with a prompt for the new WPA code?

Again, it depends upon the individual device. I've usually had to make up on my own encryption key for a WEP device. Make sure that all of the devices are using the same bit (number of characters) key if it's WEP. You will probably have to select a radio button to select the length of the key.

If all of your devices will use personal WPA, I'd use that. Then you should be able to enter an easily remembered passphrase on all devices.