Re: [SOLVED] Re: Cannot connect to WiFi

[David Wright]

On Fri 17 Nov 2017 at 02:35:22 (+), Juan R. de Silva wrote:
> On Thu, 16 Nov 2017 16:56:39 -0600, David Wright wrote:
> 
> > On Thu 16 Nov 2017 at 20:11:18 (+), Juan R. de Silva wrote:
> >> 
> >> On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:48:00 +, Juan R. de Silva wrote:
> >> 
> >> > Hi folks,
> >> > 
> >> > My ISP replaced my old modem with the new one. I changed my WiFi
> >> > Authentication key and the name of the WiFi network. Then I made
> >> > Network Manager to "forget" my old WiFi. Network Manager finds my new
> >> > WiFi but I cannot connect to it.
> >> > 
> >> > When "Authentication Key is required" dialog pops up and the key is
> >> > entered,j Connect button remains grayed out/disabled. Thus there is
> >> > no way to get through but pressing Cancel button.
> >> > 
> >> > I'm running Debian Stretch.
> >> > 
> >> > Could somebody help. It's quite urgent now.
> >> 
> >> 
> >> The problem is solved. It was Bob Weber post that led me to solution,
> >> though the problem was a kind of different.
> >> 
> >> Here what I mean. Just by looking at my password, as entered into NM, I
> >> did not find any weird characters or trailing spaces in it. A typo was
> >> exclued since I copy-pasted it from my password manager storage. I was
> >> in loss and just for no reason, when in GNOME "Authentication required"
> >> dialog pressed Backspace once... All at a sudden I get through and
> >> connected!..
> >> 
> >> Then I copied the password I uncessfully tried to use in Network
> >> Manager and pasted it bellow a password copied from my modem/router (or
> >> as David rightfully called it "gateway" device).
> >> 
> >> That was it. The original password was 64 characters and the one in my
> >> modem was only 63 characters. Aparantly the modem has a limitation on
> >> the password length,
> > 
> > The protocol sets the limits, not the router.
> 
> I agree. But I've meant quite a different thing. 
> 
> Whoever or whatever sets the limit, if the user makes a mistake and 
> enters into appropriate router field oversized password, it is a 
> responsibility of a good programmer to let the user know that the 
> password is going to be truncated. 
> 
> A user has a right to make a mistake, not have enough knowledge, even to 
> be dumb at the end. A good GUI programmer is expected to oversee such 
> things.
> 
> Silently truncating an entry IS a silly programming technic.

My intention was not to question your judgement on your experience,
but only to explain the significance of the strings you mentioned,
with lengths of 63 and 64. That wasn't apparent from your description
of both as "passwords" when only the shorter one is. Being aware of
the difference might help save the time of some future reader of
this thread.

Cheers,
David.

Re: [SOLVED] Re: Cannot connect to WiFi

[Juan R. de Silva]

On Thu, 16 Nov 2017 16:56:39 -0600, David Wright wrote:

> On Thu 16 Nov 2017 at 20:11:18 (+), Juan R. de Silva wrote:
>> 
>> On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:48:00 +, Juan R. de Silva wrote:
>> 
>> > Hi folks,
>> > 
>> > My ISP replaced my old modem with the new one. I changed my WiFi
>> > Authentication key and the name of the WiFi network. Then I made
>> > Network Manager to "forget" my old WiFi. Network Manager finds my new
>> > WiFi but I cannot connect to it.
>> > 
>> > When "Authentication Key is required" dialog pops up and the key is
>> > entered,j Connect button remains grayed out/disabled. Thus there is
>> > no way to get through but pressing Cancel button.
>> > 
>> > I'm running Debian Stretch.
>> > 
>> > Could somebody help. It's quite urgent now.
>> 
>> 
>> The problem is solved. It was Bob Weber post that led me to solution,
>> though the problem was a kind of different.
>> 
>> Here what I mean. Just by looking at my password, as entered into NM, I
>> did not find any weird characters or trailing spaces in it. A typo was
>> exclued since I copy-pasted it from my password manager storage. I was
>> in loss and just for no reason, when in GNOME "Authentication required"
>> dialog pressed Backspace once... All at a sudden I get through and
>> connected!..
>> 
>> Then I copied the password I uncessfully tried to use in Network
>> Manager and pasted it bellow a password copied from my modem/router (or
>> as David rightfully called it "gateway" device).
>> 
>> That was it. The original password was 64 characters and the one in my
>> modem was only 63 characters. Aparantly the modem has a limitation on
>> the password length,
> 
> The protocol sets the limits, not the router.

I agree. But I've meant quite a different thing. 

Whoever or whatever sets the limit, if the user makes a mistake and 
enters into appropriate router field oversized password, it is a 
responsibility of a good programmer to let the user know that the 
password is going to be truncated. 

A user has a right to make a mistake, not have enough knowledge, even to 
be dumb at the end. A good GUI programmer is expected to oversee such 
things.

Silently truncating an entry IS a silly programming technic.

Re: [SOLVED] Re: Cannot connect to WiFi

[David Wright]

On Thu 16 Nov 2017 at 20:11:18 (+), Juan R. de Silva wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:48:00 +, Juan R. de Silva wrote:
> 
> > Hi folks,
> > 
> > My ISP replaced my old modem with the new one. I changed my WiFi
> > Authentication key and the name of the WiFi network. Then I made Network
> > Manager to "forget" my old WiFi. Network Manager finds my new WiFi but I
> > cannot connect to it.
> > 
> > When "Authentication Key is required" dialog pops up and the key is
> > entered,j Connect button remains grayed out/disabled. Thus there is no
> > way to get through but pressing Cancel button.
> > 
> > I'm running Debian Stretch.
> > 
> > Could somebody help. It's quite urgent now.
> 
> 
> The problem is solved. It was Bob Weber post that led me to solution, though 
> the problem was a kind of different.
> 
> Here what I mean. Just by looking at my password, as entered into NM, I did 
> not find any weird characters or trailing spaces in it. A typo was exclued 
> since I copy-pasted it from my password manager storage. I was in loss and 
> just for no reason, when in GNOME "Authentication required" dialog pressed 
> Backspace once... All at a sudden I get through and connected!..
> 
> Then I copied the password I uncessfully tried to use in Network Manager and 
> pasted it bellow a password copied from my modem/router (or as David 
> rightfully 
> called it "gateway" device).
> 
> That was it. The original password was 64 characters and the one in my modem 
> was only 63 characters. Aparantly the modem has a limitation on the password 
> length,

The protocol sets the limits, not the router.

> which it neither shows to a user. Instead it sighlently cuts off any 
> excessive characters.
> 
> Silly programmed device wasted 2 days of my time. Anyway I'm a happy bunny 
> now, since it solved. :-)
> 
> Thanks folks. And the bigest credit goes to Bob.

The 64 character item is a different animal from anything with 63 or
fewer chars. A key of up to 63 ASCII printables will get encrypted
along with the SSID to produce a 64 character hexadecimal string which
is what actually gets used.

The 63 char limit is to allow a device to distinguish between the two
types of string if the unencrypted key were to contain only hexadecimal
characters, like beadedface18005551234 (the well-known tattoo parlour),
though many devices don't in fact allow direct entry of the encrypted
(64) string.

Cheers,
David.

Re: [SOLVED] Re: Cannot connect to WiFi

[Cindy-Sue Causey]

On 11/16/17, Juan R. de Silva  wrote:
>
> On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:48:00 +, Juan R. de Silva wrote:
>>
>> My ISP replaced my old modem with the new one. I changed my WiFi
>> Authentication key and the name of the WiFi network. Then I made Network
>> Manager to "forget" my old WiFi. Network Manager finds my new WiFi but I
>> cannot connect to it.
>>
>> When "Authentication Key is required" dialog pops up and the key is
>> entered,j Connect button remains grayed out/disabled. Thus there is no
>> way to get through but pressing Cancel button.
>>
>> I'm running Debian Stretch.
>>
>> Could somebody help. It's quite urgent now.
>
>
> The problem is solved. It was Bob Weber post that led me to solution, though
>
> the problem was a kind of different.
>
> Here what I mean. Just by looking at my password, as entered into NM, I did
>
> not find any weird characters or trailing spaces in it. A typo was exclued
> since I copy-pasted it from my password manager storage. I was in loss and
> just for no reason, when in GNOME "Authentication required" dialog pressed
> Backspace once... All at a sudden I get through and connected!..
>
> Then I copied the password I uncessfully tried to use in Network Manager and
>
> pasted it bellow a password copied from my modem/router (or as David
> rightfully
> called it "gateway" device).
>
> That was it. The original password was 64 characters and the one in my modem
>
> was only 63 characters. Aparantly the modem has a limitation on the password
>
> length, which it neither shows to a user. Instead it sighlently cuts off any
>
> excessive characters.
>
> Silly programmed device wasted 2 days of my time. Anyway I'm a happy bunny
> now, since it solved. :-)
>
> Thanks folks. And the bigest credit goes to Bob.


Yay!

AND a word I couldn't think of earlier just came to mind while reading
your success:

Tooltip.

LOTS of packages and websites are using those for text fields these
days. It's REALLY nice when they appear in many instances. In this
case, it would advise that we are to use yada-yada number of
characters that can be selected from numbers, alphabet, and sometimes
certain punctuation marks.

To accommodate those who don't like or need tooltips, there is often
some way of turning them off universally, too. Speaking firsthand, I
can't *stand* those oversized tooltips that are sometimes available
for browser tabs. :)

Tooltips are a handy usability feature. To me, they fall under
accessibility, too, because they're very *cognitively friendly*.

Cindy :)
-- 
Cindy-Sue Causey
Talking Rock, Pickens County, Georgia, USA

* runs with duct tape *

[SOLVED] Re: Cannot connect to WiFi

[Juan R. de Silva]

On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:48:00 +, Juan R. de Silva wrote:

> Hi folks,
> 
> My ISP replaced my old modem with the new one. I changed my WiFi
> Authentication key and the name of the WiFi network. Then I made Network
> Manager to "forget" my old WiFi. Network Manager finds my new WiFi but I
> cannot connect to it.
> 
> When "Authentication Key is required" dialog pops up and the key is
> entered,j Connect button remains grayed out/disabled. Thus there is no
> way to get through but pressing Cancel button.
> 
> I'm running Debian Stretch.
> 
> Could somebody help. It's quite urgent now.


The problem is solved. It was Bob Weber post that led me to solution, though 
the problem was a kind of different.

Here what I mean. Just by looking at my password, as entered into NM, I did 
not find any weird characters or trailing spaces in it. A typo was exclued 
since I copy-pasted it from my password manager storage. I was in loss and 
just for no reason, when in GNOME "Authentication required" dialog pressed 
Backspace once... All at a sudden I get through and connected!..

Then I copied the password I uncessfully tried to use in Network Manager and 
pasted it bellow a password copied from my modem/router (or as David rightfully 
called it "gateway" device).

That was it. The original password was 64 characters and the one in my modem 
was only 63 characters. Aparantly the modem has a limitation on the password 
length, which it neither shows to a user. Instead it sighlently cuts off any 
excessive characters.

Silly programmed device wasted 2 days of my time. Anyway I'm a happy bunny 
now, since it solved. :-)

Thanks folks. And the bigest credit goes to Bob.