3COM AirConnect WAP not compat with other vendors

[mrdrc]

Our 3Com AirConnect WAP works OK with the 3Com wireless PC-cards it was bundled with, but we can't get it to interoperate with wireless clients from other vendors with encryption on. We have tried with Orinoco (Apple Airport Card), Linksys, and built-in wireless inside a Toshiba laptop. In all cases, if WEP is off, things work fine. If WEP is on, can't make an IP connection through the 3Com WAP.

I don't believe it is a password problem. Example: When using the Airport client, I am prompted for the password when trying to join the 3Com network. I enter the WEP encryption key in hex, with a leading $. The password is accepted and a connection is established. (if I enter an incorrect password, the connection attempt is rejected. This suggests that password validation is successful).

Although the Airport status shows "connected", with strong signal strength, no IP connectivity occurs through the 3Com WAP.

Similar situation with the Toshiba, and with a Linksys wireless card in a Dell laptop. We've downloaded the latest version of 3Com firmware for the 3Com AirConnect.

3Com claims Wi-Fi compatibility. Does anyone have a proof point demonstrating success with non-3Com wireless clients (with crypto on), or should we stop wasting our time and junk the 3Com??

[mrdrc]

Answer (from original poster):
3Com WAP can be made to work with Airport card, Linksys card and others. Must ensure all are using the same WEP key (either #1, #2, #3, or #4), and that the key in use is the same at each end (in the AP and in the laptop).