Router PIN

[comp_see]

My friend has a small coffee shop where internet connection via wireless is provided. To make it simple, I just set the encryption using WEP/Open. However, there are some customers still encounter connection problem while others customer get the access at the same time.

To-day, I just saw that happens. My notebook and 2 other customers have connection. I'm using a Dell with XP, 1 customer using Mac, 1 customer has a new Toshiba with Win7. There is another customer using another Dell with Vista has difficulties. I tried to help but found that she needed to enter the router's PIN which is 4 or 8 digits. I don't know what it is as all the connected computers do not require that and the router interface does not have that parameter.

I downloaded the router's user guide and find in a section that mentions: "if client device ask for the router's PIN, it can be found on the label underneath the router". I found a 8 digit number on the label which is not the P/N or S/N and supposed it is the no. required. Unfortunately, that customer just went away when I found it. There is no proof the no. is the required one.

My question is why a router's PIN is required, and how to turn off this requirement? Does this is the feature only found in Vista or router related? The router is Linksys WRT120N. Thanks for your advice.

[Train]

Reset the router and do not use any security.

Or if possible just disable the security.

That is the way motels set the routers up.

Now I hope the router is less than 2 years old.

[ecross]

The Linksys router includes WPS support which offers a push button or using a PIN number instead of manually configuring the wireless security by hand. Any router with WPS will ask for this. If you log into the router, you might check to see if you can turn off this for a manual configuration.