Nintendo DS supporting WPA
Not going to happen:
We have no plans for WPA at this time.
If your concerned about WEP, turn your computers are OFF after you’ve switch to WEP for the DS. I don’t care if The Lone Gunmen are parked outside your door with a van full of equipment trying to bust in your computer files, they can’t do it if your computers are off. And, yes, your wireless router will still work if your computer is off. Um, unless it’s plugged into the same power strip and you power the whole strip off.
If that’s not an option for you, you may want to get the Nintendo USB WiFi Connector, as it works ONLY with the Nintendo DS, and you can leave your other WiFi router with WPA.
NOTE: The reason the Nintendo DS is compatible with WEP, and not WPA, is that we found WEP to be the most prevalent standard for securing wi-fi connections.
“NOA_GREG” in the Nintendo Forums
Well, that’s a pretty crummy answer. I’ll be playing the Nintendo DS for a few years at least, and I certainly plan to be using WPA before then. Apparently Nintendo is unaware that people can still use your Internet connection even if your computers are turned off. Stealing bandwidth for illicit activities is my problem with WEP, not the notion that people may break into my computers.
Julian, do you live in an apartment? I’m just curious because I’ve never been that concerned about bandwidth stealing. Based on unscientific tests in my neighborhood, wifi can be snagged from one house away if you are lucky. For me that means 2 neighbors. Its possible the house behind me could get a weak signal. Both neighbors have broadband already, and one has his own wifi. This is really not much of an issue for me. I already have my systems relatively secured at the LAN level so I’m not worried too much about the neighbor kid poking around.
And if a car is sitting on my curb wardriving I can just shoo them off. :)
I just setup wifi at my mom’s place and I didn’t even enable security. She’s 0.5 mi away from the closest house. :)
You are not everyone.
If someone actually needs or wants their wireless network to be secure, WEP is not an option. WEP+MAC address filtering is still inherently insecure. This is true today.
For some time perspective, the GameCube was released long before 802.11g was even close to finalized. The Nintendo DS was released after WPA was finalized. Going forward, most consumer wireless devices will support WPA. As of a year ago, even with about 8 regular users of my network, I could switch to WPA. Except for the Nintendo DS. If the Revolution is also released without WPA support (it’s likely, since the DS doesn’t support it anyway), it’s going to be many many years before people can realistically begin using WPA instead of WEP—at least anyone who owns Nintendo hardware. Now, you may not need to switch to WPA, but some people do.
It’s just stupid to release a modern 802.11b or g device these days that does not support WPA. I’m willing to grant that WEP is more popular today, but that’s because WPA is much much newer! WPA will become more popular in a few years if devices actually support it.
It’s also important to note that WPA is easier to use than WEP. There’s no such thing as a “HEX equivalent password” with WPA.
I don’t understand the reasons not to support WPA. These devices Nintendo is releasing will be with us longer than average computer hardware.
It’s also important to keep in mind that all it takes is one person attached to your wireless network sending a lot of spam to get you in trouble with your ISP. Moreso if it happens repeatedly.
All I use is MAC filtering, no encryption at all. I’m harder to access than my neighbor’s networks, which are all unsecured. That is enough that I consider myself safe from bandwidth thiefs. I advise around 80% of people who I set up networks for that MAC filtering only is the best option, or 64-bit WEP if they wish users be able to allow themselves on with a password. I DO inform people that this is inheriently insecure. I inform them that NO wireless security is as secure as wired Ethernet, that you can get in big trouble with your ISP and the law if other people use your connection for illicit activities, that WEP 128 solves most compatibility issues and is relatively secure, but that 64bit WEP and MAC filtering are the most user friendly. Then they sign that they acknowledge the risks inherent with wireless and the form of encryption they desire vs. other forms.
If you’re in a mid-density area with a low encryption usage rate and a high wireless penetration, I just worry about being a little more secure than the crowd.
If you have sensitive documents, are in an apartment, or are in a very rural area (and thus the only one around), I STRONGLY advise WPA.
WEP-128 is not even relatively secure. This is the problem. We’re talking less than a minute in some circumstances here.
Anyway, whatever. I’m not that concerned about convincing everyone to switch to WPA. I just wish that I were able to use WPA. But Nintendo apparently thinks everyone who uses a DS doesn’t need it. It’s that which upsets me.
I feel the same way as Julian about the whole “why doesn’t it support WPA” thing, but then my Dad (I’m 14 and he’s 37 so I can’t really argue much) says he will NOT rebuild the whole network to WEP and allow people to hack our systems and get our credit card data and other such stuff. Personally i think its a pain in the **** that he’s almost as paranoid as the average American seems to be (I’m British and damned proud of it), but I don’t beleive that barring all MAC addresses except our 5 computers and my DS can be insecure. If everything has it’s own MAC address, how can anything else break through? It’s like telling electricity to go through rubber. It doesn’t happen. Although that’s only how I see it, I may well be wrong…
DS needs WPA support, but my Dad needs to loosen up.
And the USB adapter shouldnt cost $35, that’s another problem.
Chris, security flaws in WEP are such that the MAC address gets transmitted in the clear at times. Once you have the MAC address, you can instruct the driver for your wireless hardware to use that MAC address. MAC address spoofing is perfectly (and easily) possible with most hardware. So… seeing MAC address plus spoofing MAC address plus getting the WEP key easily means that even WEP + MAC address filtering isn’t secure.
Well, WPA isn’t really that great either. You’d proberbly want to use WPA2 instead. I use WPA2 and MAC address filtering on my AP.
WEP is very very unsecure regarding to WPA!
That’s due to the presence of the “Initial Vector” in the header of each packet…
Very usefull to crack the WEP encryption :-)
I don’t understand why Nintendo doesn’t support WPA…
“NOTE: The reason the Nintendo DS is compatible with WEP, and not WPA, is that we found WEP to be the most prevalent standard for securing wi-fi connections.”
This reason is completely stupid! WPA is standardized and used as well as WEP!
And using 128bits encryption instead of 64 doesn’t make WEP more secure…
128 bit WEP is more secure than 64 bit, though not by very much. The thing is - whose bandwidth will you steal when you drive by? Mine - with a simple MAC filter? Or my next door neighbor’s on either side with no security at all? Thought so…
It’s a deterrent - like those door knobs with the lock in the middle - those things just fall apart if turned right. But they deter most casual thefts. I don’t live in a high crime area, I don’t consider bandwidth theft on my list of major concerns.
Regarding credit card #’s etc… that’s all being sent over the freaking wide open Internet! That’s why most of us have discovered SSL.
Higher level encryption like WPA (or really ANY encryption) is simply NOT NECESSARY in most home environments. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a place. But I’d say that under 1 in 50 users really needs to worry about encryption - simply be harder to access than your neighbors (even if only 30 seconds harder…)
And of course the only environment in which people are going to use the DS is a home environment exactly like yours (yeah right).
Universities and companies may or may not need WPA as well. You’re in no position to dictate that no one who will use the DS over the course of its lifespan as a product will ever need WPA. Neither is Nintendo. That is my point.
I, like Chris, have no control over my wireless setup. but I live in a small town. I just want to put things in to perspective. When you live in a place like I do, people hacking into your computers and stealing your internet is not a large concern. My next door neighbor (and I live in a townhouse) has a network that is ONLY WEP protected and she has no qualms with letting us get some of it but not know the password. My point is that there isn’t anyone on my street (aside from my dad) who would even have the faintest idea of how to crack open a WEP password.
So after pointing this out, I pose the question: how does one switch from WPA to WEP? I know it seems forbidden, but it’s the only way for me to get Nintendo Wifi. The USB connector is not an option as I have a Mac. Any responses would be infinitely appreciated. Thanks!
That’s great and all, but it doesn’t prove that no one in the world needs WPA. Really guys, I’m perfectly willing and able to believe that there are a lot of situations in which people do not need WPA, but my point is that there are also situations in which people do need WPA! Nintendo is basically arguing that no one needs WPA, and as far as I can tell, you guys are trying to agree with them by offering me anecdotes of places where WPA is not needed. That’s not a particularly convincing way to argue when we’re trying to explicitly exclude a security feature.
Tim, switching from WPA to WEP is a matter of configuring your access point. It depends on what access point you have. Most access points are configured from the web browser. If you have an AirPort base station, you use AirPort Admin Utility.
Thanks…Nice blog by the way…
Regarding people who say that WPA is not necessary - who gave you the right to tell me what security I should have on my PC. WEP = no security at all to anyone that knows what they are doing. As someone has already mentioned MAC filtering + WEP is nothing. At least WPA provides a speed bump. Telling me to use WEP is frankly like telling me to not use AV or anti-spyware. Its rare to actually get a virus (for me anyway), but when you do you’re glad you’ve got them
Nintendo are living two years ago with their adherence to WEP. The post at the top regarding turning the PC off displays shocking ignorance as to what their customers use their PCs for. I think I’ll stick with my PSP which does support WPA until Nintendo actually astart behaving like a technology company. /rant
Oh - and nice blog btw.
Guess I won’t be buying a DS then. My home network is WPA and there is no way I’m going to compromise it just to play a game.
To Chris:
If your dad doesn’t want to “rebuild” his entire network (existing router and PCs setup) from WPA to WEP, it’s understandable. How about give him an idea that doesn’t require him to do complete overhaul (that seems to be his main objection):
You go buy a wireless AccessPoint/Router as a Christmas present for yourself, and - with his permission - hook up to any router on his network. Set this new router to WEP, MAC filtering etc, and if possible set the antenna (Linksys has external adjustable) so that the signal spread is very limited (just far enough to reach your room).
NDS —-(wireless WEP)—-> New Router —-(wired)—-> Existing Router —-> Net
I hope Nintendo will support WPA soon. And BTW, McDonalds & Nintendo collaborate for this online NDS gaming. Find hotspots here: http://www.nintendowifi.com/hotspots/searchHotSpot.do
Cheers & have a happy holidays!
Furthermore, who can tell if in a few years there won’t be another better encryption systems and an hypothetical wpa flaw would render wpa as unsecure as wep? Or that next semester there will be free internet hotspots requiring wpa encryption? Oh and for all of you feeling secure with your wpa (and wpa2 for that matter), I’m afraid you can crack it quite easily (it’s as weak as your passphrase is (sidenotes in a sidenote are a very bad habit but wtf: as I’m using 63 characters-long passphrase, I’d say I’m fearing the day I’ll have to input all those special characters on my ds)).
The bottom line is, as soon as you treat with security, you should be able to upgrade your firmware/software in order to implement new things or update old things. As the psp can do. And the ds only partially (ok, I don’t know how much of it you can modify, but it seems that mario kart is upgrading some wifi part of the firmware which might be enough to enable the support of wpa in the near future).
Another problem is viruses and other malware, as we have seen in the last months. The Ds seems to be better than the psp on that particular matter as the unmodifiable firmware part contains a utility to reformat back the modifiable firmware. Recover or Upgrade gamepaks might be released to retailers. And they might be able to even update the firmware in a way that would permit to update via internet. (Of course it’s pure speculation on my part as I don’t know the actual size of the eeprom and the size it would have to be in order to accomplish all those wonders). To go on that wonderful way, if they could add some features like an agenda, that would be neat. (To counter any remark about the psp firmware, right now sony won’t lift a finger to recover your firmware but that stance might change as things unfold, so it might climb to the same level as the ds)
I think we might need to bother nintendo nights after days for an update or real arguments why it’s not possible.
Manuel, saying WPA and WPA2 can be cracked “quite easily” as if it’s a similar difficulty to cracking WEP is basically FUD. WPA and WPA2 are as secure as your password, as you say, but this is no worse than most password-based authentication systems. As always, pick a reasonable password and things will be more secure than if you use “god”. This is much more in line with people’s expectations of security than WEP, which is easily crackable regardless of password chosen.
This is utter lunacy on Nintendos part. Most of the internet world was up in arms with the PSP when it first came out and only offered WEP. Fortunatly, Sony did not drop the ball, and quickly released a firmware upgrade to enable WPA (which is actually the most common encryption, not WEP) where they got that info from, I would love to see the cite. WPA has been available on all routers sold in the USA for the last 2 years now. In their booklets, (even for ppl not inclined to this stuff) when they walk you through the setups, they tell you to enable WPA!! Linksys, Belkin, Airport, etc… ALL DO THIS.
In a funny way, this mistep too, shall only help them retain their “kiddie” image.
I live in an apartmnet block. From my computer I can see 4 AP’s. The only one without WPA enabled is mine (ssid=NintendoDS) for obvious reasons (it was enabled before I bought the DS). I can’t use the wi-fi adaptor either as I use linux. I also think it’s appaling that Nintendo chose not to implement WPA (don’t their programmers make enough money or something?). Can’t use the DS at uni either, as it’s wireless network which was using WPA with TKIP & PEAP and everything else under the sun when it was rolled out. (Shit, XP, which is what I was using at the time, needed a few upgrades to allow me to connect.)
Just ran across your blog. It would have been nice had nintendo supported wpa rather than wep. I had the house setup with WPA since they fixed the weak iv issue of WEP. Just to explain, WEP uses a 24 bit Initial vector and there are several of these that are ‘weak’, gather enough of the packets with the same weak iv and the encryption is cracked. I then spoof your mac and I’m in. WPA v1 uses a non repeating 48 bit iv using the temporal key algorithm and is a heck of a lot more secure than WEP though it’s worth pointing out the underlying cypher stream is still the same (RC4). However, I digress, the point is, I would have liked to have had the opportunity to use WPA on the DS, as it is I lowered the security to WEP until I put in a second AP for my son and put him on the DMZ. There was a point made earlier that using WPA-TKIP or WPA-AES is like using antivirus, you may never get hit but that one time is a pain in the butt. It’s not so much that people are going to use airsnort and watch you browse since most financial sites use SSLv2. However, given enough time and tools like megasploit they will gain access to your system. Once they have access and install the zombie software or keyloggers, the software will call home with everything you’ve done even if it was on an SSL pipe. Sorry, went off on a tangent there. I just hope nintendo releases a firmware upgrade. Oh and before the nintendo tech says that’s not going to happen, the DS system is already hacked and running linux, so the fat lady has not sung her grand finale yet.
Yeah, I think the post at the top pretty much hit it without noticing. Nintendo decided. At the end of the day it isn’t all bad, but people get carried away. Nintendo makes what are essentially toys. They are sophisticated and highly technological toys, but the end market concept is a toy that many people of all ages will like and use for amusement. As a result, the system is very inexpensive and good at what accomplishes that task. Any other feature is treated as additional overhead and usually discarded. I’d say it is very good at what it does.
The problem is that it is not a very secure platform, but Nintendo won’t say that so they give you the run around. What really happened was that they wanted certain features and decided to spare others reguardless of the future-proofing it may afford. Again, needless overhead to the goals of Nintendo. In the end they will support better security after everyone else does. Just like HD, Internet, backlit portables and color portables for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, Nintendo is awesome, but they are not on a technological cutting edge with tons of features. They just make an awesome and affordable video gaming lifestyle that is unique and engaging.
Hi, Nice site. I think I got here just in time for the WPA debate… I think it is a shame the DS doesnt support WPA, I am a bit of a gadget freak and I have a lot of handheld devices like PSP, GP2X, original GBA ect etc. Out of all my Wifi enabled kit it all has WPA as an option for connecting to a wlan. Now, I use WPA and MAC address filtering here because I live in a block of flats. All my neighbours can see me and I can see them. Sometimes when my ISP is down, I jump on their network for internet connection. Not only that, there is a bunch of offices across the road from me, they have a ton of wlans running to. I think a lot of people will start to use WPA very soon, even access points are being released now that use it. Right now the only place I can use my DS is at work when the boss isnt looking :-).
Dont suppose the firmware on a DS is upgradeable like on a PSP?
I think Nintendo should have support for both WEP & WPA. Why just go with one and hope everyone uses it? That’s plain dumb and cheap on their part. I’m definitely not touching my network and making it more vulnerable just to play the DS.
For a WEP vs WPA comparison go to: http://www.openxtra.co.uk/articles/wpa-vs-wep.php
WPA is hands down superior to WEP. Nintendo better fix it…
- Leo
was wondering if anyone here knows how i find my WEP address as i am trying to connect to my Nintendo DS but cannot find it. all that happens is that it comes up in ******. thanks tim
Just got a DS the other day and have discovered the unfortunate WEP only problem. I have been told of a solution and would like some feedback on it’s viability. If I get a router, and 2 access points (Are access points OK or do they need to be routers in themselves?) I can set up the router to be on one subnet (192.168.1.x), the base stations on their own, unique subnets (192.168.2.x and 192.168.3.x) and just use 192.168.1.x as the gateway for the others and then noone can see each other. Play DS on one that’s set up with WEP, and set the other to WPA2.
Would this work? Obviously more expensive but might be a solution.
New DS Owner,
A solution to which problem? That would allow you a WPA network and a WEP network, yes, but it would still allow someone to break into your WEP network and use your Internet connection.
“If your concerned about WEP, turn your computers are OFF after you’ve switch to WEP for the DS. I don’t care if The Lone Gunmen are parked outside your door with a van full of equipment trying to bust in your computer files, they can’t do it if your computers are off. And, yes, your wireless router will still work if your computer is off. Um, unless it’s plugged into the same power strip and you power the whole strip off.”
You just don’t get it.
I had the actual router itself hacked and forced into a continues reboot loop via an uploaded hacked firmware update.
Around here they don’t care about your files, they care about breaking your shit!
The problem isn’t people stealing your intenret, it’s people stealing your credit card numbers. If you live in an apartment complex, you probably get at least two other wireless signals (I know I do). If they’re WEP secured, it’s trivially easy to intercept traffic. Then, it’s trivially easy to pull out passwords that are transmitted in plain-text (POP3, SMTP, http, telnet, etc) and try them for sites like Paypal, ebay, Amazon, etc. If you transmit your password over a WEP connection without SSL(MAC filtering doesn’t help at all, by the way), it is extremely easy for an attacker to recover it. It’s not about “breaking into computers” or stealing internet (which is a concern, but it’s easily mitigated). It’s about stealing passwords to sensitive data.
I connect to all of my mail servers using SSL (IMAP and SMTP), I primarily use SSL-connected Jabber or .Mac AIM encryption when talking about sensitive things over IM. I make sure I’m using https whenever I’m sending a credit card number… and telnet is evil. ssh always.
End-to-end encryption is important regardless of whether you’re on a physical wire or over wireless. The difference that wireless makes is that it becomes easier for anyone to have a virtual plug into your network. The more that can be done to prevent those plugs, the better one is able to prevent people from connecting to your local network… whatever the problems involved in that might be.
Even if you have WPA, you don’t want to be sending your credit card number without some form of end-to-end encryption.
I was hoping that since the DS Lite was released we would see WPA supported, but since its not I think I should mention that there is a dual router solution. Use one router for unsecure DS and the other for your computers and WPA devices. Here is a link with more info:
http://www.grc.com/nat/nat.htm
JOhn
I contacted Nintendo and they gave the same generic answer as the beginning of this thread, that WEP is the most widely used so they support that. The fact that the industry as a whole is moving away from WEP becauase of the broken RC4 implementation. Arguing that since there are many access points around so why would an intruder use yours is a weak argument, that’s security through statistics, which is no security in the long run. Using a fairly widespread toolset an intruder can sit outside, watch all wireless packets and grab your credit card, plus whatever else you do over the medium. Yes you can use two access points which for now is what I am doing, keeping the WEP portion on a DMZ segregated from all other systems but my question is simply ‘why?’ It’s not a big stretch to support the WPA TKIP algorithm at the very least and it would make things a whole lot simpler going forward. Eventually access points will stop offering WEP so it will be interesting to see how Nintendo will react to that, Maybe the DS 2.0?
I just want to say even though the discussion is over. The problem with their thinking isn’t that WEP is better, or worse. It’s that WEP is prevaliant and it’s the only one the support. If WEP was better and that’s the reason, then that’d be fine. WPA is just as good and almost definatly better. Now perhaps in japan they don’t have that much WPA enabled APs, but the fact that WPA is as good (better) and almost as prevalant should end the discussion there. I don’t want to remember a huge Hex key, especially if it’s easier to crack then one of my passwords.
I don’t quite understand why you’re saying WPA “is just as good”… WPA was created years after WEP by some of the same people that created WEP and is a complete replacement. There’s basically no way in which WEP is better except that more old wireless chipsets support it.
The Wii supports WPA.
Hi everyone.
With the launch of the Nintendo Wii just around the corner, will you purchase one?
If so, what are you most looking forward to about the system?
“If your concerned about WEP, turn your computers are OFF after you’ve switch to WEP for the DS. I don’t care if The Lone Gunmen are parked outside your door with a van full of equipment trying to bust in your computer files, they can’t do it if your computers are off. And, yes, your wireless router will still work if your computer is off. Um, unless it’s plugged into the same power strip and you power the whole strip off.”
I think this whole post by ‘NOA_GREG’ wil go down as a classic.
What an illiterate, ignorant moron - and commenting in what looks like an official capacity for Nintendo America!
I particularly like “..if The Lone Gunmen are parked outside…”. They sure must be ‘lone’ being the only man in this van…well, that is, apart from the other guy.
And yes, clearly this guy has no idea of the purpose of network security if he thinks turning off some host equipment will stop people getting onto your wireless router.
I saw this comment a year or so ago, and seeing it again was just hilarious.
Still no WPA-supporting firmware update for the DS, and it’s kinda dumb seeing how the Wii supports both WPA and WPA2…
Come on Nintendo.
Another option is to get a wireless router(ASUS/Bufalotech/Linksys) supported by Sveasoft and set up 2 SSIDs. This doesn’t fix the security issue with the DS but does allow you to run wpa for the computers and simultaneously run wep for the ds.
green, bum, fart
Guys,
MAC filtering is beatable in about 15 seconds. All you need to do is spoof a valid MAC and you’re in. While every network device has a hardware MAC, this is only the default setting and it’s changeable in software.
All that one needs to do is listen for a while to see what MACs are in use, then wait until that computer is being switched off - or if you’re a spammer/evil hacker type, send a “blue screen of death” to that computer, then blast the spam/other attacks away in the period it takes to reboot. This kind of attack is called “Bluejacking” and as a security consultant I’ve been aware of such attacks happening since early 2001.
IMPORTANT: in the last 2-3 years MOST access points I’ve been monitoring in my immediate area (Airmagnet is a wonderful tool) have been secured (mostly using WEP) - that means spammers/evil hackers no longer have the “low hanging fruit” of unsecured networks to do their thing, so WEP networks are the next set of widely hit targets - and bear in mind that most people who apply weak security have a strong sense of denial when they’re finally used as attack vectors. As a ISP/network admin, my response to people refusing to accept their security isn’t good enough is to lock their connection off the Internet - and this is becoming standard practice at most broadband ISPs across the world.
Nintendo needs to fix this, properly. WPA isn’t hard to implement. Sooner or later if they keep the advice up on their website about switching to WEP they’re going to face a class action suit.
I’ve just won a DSLite, not something I would have ever bought, and reading this am surprised that a new device doesn’t implement WPA2-AES. My router and other devices are so setup and there is a website that will generate keys for you.
I also use MAC filtering. You can never have too much security.
Like others here I don’t live in a high density area but there are other networks around, one unsecured and I want to reduce the chances as much as I can of someone else either trying to access my computers or using my link.
I disable SSID broadcasting, enable mac address filtering, and have no password. When you disable SSID broadcasting, you will have to type in manually the network you want to log in to. That’s probably why none of my neighbors can see my network. I have been using this setup for over 2 years and have not had any problems yet. To make sure that no one has been stealing my wireless access, I check my router and DSL modem for activity. So far, no one has stolen my wireless access.
You do realise that with some very basic software, anyone can see your blind SSID?
I do realize that, but I know my neighbors pretty well. If I really don’t trust my neighbors, then I would have more security on my wireless network.
Hi, Interesting debate going on.
I have recently bought a Netgear Pre N router/modem that doesnt support WEP, although on the box it states it does. What it failed to tell me was it only supports WEP in b/g mode not in pre N mode which renders the routers pre N features redundant. To use my DS I have to go into the router settings and turn the wpa2 proection off which is a pain in the arse quite frankly and it is something I dont feel comfy doing. I think a protest should be put to Nintendo to get with the times and release a firmware upgrade to support wpa.
I don’t believe a firmware patch is possible as the DS’s wireless functionality is actually build into each cartridge that supports it.
Only portions of the software are in the cartridge–i.e., the UI. It should at absolute least be possible to patch the firmware and allow new games to support WPA.
since we need to use WEP in NDS, there is the most secure way to do it that i can think of:
- Disable SSID broadcasting
- Enable Mac filtering
- Generate a 64-bit HEX WEP keys from a random password generator (e.g. linux: mkpasswd, windows: keepass)
Anyone has a better solution?
As Nintendo likes to re-release new models of the existing hardware, maybe “NDS micro” will eventually support WPA/WPA2…. :)
One more thing to do is to reduce the signal strength to “minimum”. As you’d probably playing NDS very close to your AP…I am using it and it does not affect my speed anyway.
anyone else think this its a little sketchy that hes suggesting you buy the usb wifi connector? isnt that kinda like… making you pay more in order to keep your network secure and play your DS.
because i use WPA and i cant switch it back to wep because im not in control of the wifi connection… this is so dumb.
Thing is, the Wi-Fi connector probably just uses MAC address filtering and… WEP. Which means it’s not actually making anything more secure.
it seems that this guy has an hack to support WPA in the DS.
http://geekboy.ca/wifi/
That “GeekBoy” guy seems to know what to do. I don’t have a DS yet, but when I get one I’ll probably try that. If I don’t I’m gonna do the dual router trick. It seems like it will work well.
Haha, hightech industry on a level of prehistoric WiFi-Security…
I had my WiFi Access Point with WPA loooooong before NDS came out. So what’s your excuse you geniuses ?
That sounds to me like powering a rocket with a hamster in a wheel…
And besides: I would be nonsense if noone could use my internet connection, if i turned off my PC.
So my girlfriend won’t be able to go online with her notebook…
Honestly, do such technical idiots work at Nintendo’s ?
Can any please answer me & advise if DS LITE has an AV out option & if so cable can be sorced where please?
my god… WHAT A LAME ASS ANSWER! many of us may have either a MAC or the wifi connector (raises hand) works/worked very curddy on their computers- there is a reason why they discountued it
I want good suuport for my DS god damnit! I would sure like to go online again!
WEP can be cracked via brute force key spamming in about 2 to 5 minutes. WiFi antenna boosters can intercept networks up to a 30 mile radius, line of site (more or less). Forcing the key while trying to guess an authorized MAC address with a T-MAC spoofer could take awhile longer but the task is still easily automated, they’re just forcing you to buy a Nintendo USB WiFi Connector.
My daughter discovered the online capability in her DS, and wanted to go online. I wasn’t thrilled about backing security on my router from WPA to WEP — especially having white hat hacker friends who could penetrate my WEP network in a couple of minutes (even with non-broadcasting SSID and MAC address filtering). So, here’s what I did: I isolated my LAN from the DS with a separate subnet.
Internet connection comes in, goes to a switch. Two wireless routers are connected to the switch; both are on different subnets that don’t speak to one another. The DS is on it’s own subnet. Now, that does mean that someone could hack into the WEP router, and access my broadband connection, but I don’t make it the lowest handing fruit (I’ve disabled SSID broadcast, filter MAC addresses, and reduced the broadcast power setting by about half). I think it’s likely someone who wants to break in will go jiggle someone else’s doorknob first.
BUT, just to be on the safe side, I also have the WEP wireless net shut off at the router, and require that my daughter log in to HER router, and turn the wireless side on and off when she wants to use the DS online.
What a pain in the butt, Nintendo. Do the right thing, and provide a DS firmware upgrade.
First off, Nintendo’s Wifi adapter is only 19.99, which would solve anyones security concerns. On that note, it is bad customer service to force customers to purchase additional hardware to resolve potential security issues. Was adding WPA really that difficult? From my own experiences, I don’t know of another current wireless device that doesn’t support WPA.
Here is what most of you are missing: no encryption or WEP encryption is not only about bandwidth or getting onto your computers. The issue is the data that your devices are transmitting. For the data that the DS transmits, its not a big deal. But the data from the computers? There is any number of things that could be captured.
How does the WiFi adapter “solve anyones [sic] security concerns”? It’s likely just opening up a WEP-protected network, which has all the problems of WEP-protected networks that have been discussed.
Most sensitive data that computers transmit these days should be protected with some form of end-to-end transmission (such as SSL). You have to be worried about data going over any network that anyone else owns if it’s not encrypted with end-to-end. Most passwords in sane network protocols are at least MD5-hashed if not done entirely with SSL.
However, it is certainly true that it would be easier to get at any non-encrypted information. That’s the problem with it being easy for others to get onto one’s private network.
My son is sorely dissapointed that he’s not able to access our wireless network just because Nintendo is not willing to support WPA. If they’re willing to pay for my lost bandwidth, ID fraud recovery, legal fees or any other problems that could arise from someone hacking my network connection, then I’ll lower my security to WEP. Otherwise, forget it!
I just want to briefly say that I live in a house where internet is free for me. That being said, I do not have an option to switch security, it stays WPA. What doesn’t make sense is that even the Wii has WPA passcode enabling. In lieu of them comming up with a software update for the DS, they force you to dish out an extra $20 to have to leave your computer on and running just to connect. It is terrible customer service to just say “tough luck, change your settings” especially in this day and age. I can right now connect any cellular phone to virtually any computer running any OS and sync them with little difficulty, but I cannot connect my Nintendo DS to a wireless router with a security encryption that is actually secure??? I just want to trade pokemon online, but it’s not worth dishing out another $20. Good job, Nintendo..
STOP RAMBLING - I AM A NETWORKING PROFESSIONAL - HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE:
Have any of you seen the size of the DS? IT HAS A WIRELESS CARD THAT IS ONLY 802.11b COMPATIBLE WHICH SHOULD TELL YOU THAT ‘WPA2′ ‘WPA1 AES’ ARE OUT OF THE QUESTION. They simply could not put a better wireless card in without making it (and the price) bigger and so they decided not to. They probably could have made it support WPA1 TKIP, but this is still hackable (although not as easily as WEP) and, most importantly, WOULD HAVE CAUSED MASS CONFUSION SINCE THE DS COULD NOT CONNECT TO THOSE WPA1 NETWORKS THAT USE ‘AES’ - MEANING THAT 1000s OF CONSUMERS WOULD BE COMPLAINING ON TECH SUPPORT FORUMS SUCH AS THIS.
The DS is not powerful enough to support WPA - it’s upsetting, but that’s life - you are asking Nintendo to 1) Do the impossible 2) If you only want TKIP - upset many more of their customers.
THE ONLY SOLUTION–
Set up 1 router as the internet bridge, then use 2 other routers for devices (1 for the DSs and one for the computers). Make sure they are on different subnets so that you don’t have NAT conflicts (i.e. make one router 192.168.1.1, another 192.168.2.1 and the last 192.168.3.1).
THE DS WIRELESS ROUTER –
1) WEP (TKIP 64bit)
2) LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF CLIENTS THAT CAN CONNECT <– I don’t know if this is available on all consumer routers, or if you can be bothered, but is the easiest way to stop others stealing your IP address/bandwidth, just allow the amount of clients that you are using at any specific time and turn off the router when you are finished.
THE COMPUTER WIRELESS ROUTER –
WPA/WPA2 - depending on your needs.