Setting Odyssey For Windows Up for Other Networks

The ACCC no longer supports Odyssey; if you are using Windows XP or Vista, please use SecureW2 instead.

There are more complete instructions, with tips if you have a Linksys access point, at: Configuring Odyssey for Home Use.

Do do this you need to know:

• your network's SSID (its name)
• your encryption method (if present)
• your WEP key (if present)

Here's how to set up a profile for your home network. This takes a bit of work, but it's the easiest way to use Odyssey with more than one wireless network.

1. Open the Odyssey Client Manager: Double-click the Odyssey sailboat in the Windows Systems Tray or use Start -> Programs -> Funk Software -> Odyssey Client -> Odyssey Client Manager.
   
   
2. Click the Networks icon from the right left hand side icon menu and click Add....
   
   
   
3. On the Network Properties window:
   • Type a name for the connection in Description (optional).
   • The Network Name (SSID): is the name you gave your home wireless network when you set it up. (SSID stands for Service Set Identifier).
   • Most home networks use:
     • Network type: Access point (infrastructure mode)
     • Association mode: open
   • If you have static WEP key(s) set, select WEP from the Encryption method: dropdown list, and, in the Pre-configured keys [WEP] section:
   • From the Format for entering keys drop-down list, select either ASCII characters or hexadecimal digits (most likely hex; it's hexadeximal if there are any letters -- a-f -- in the code) .
   • Type your static WEP key in the Key 0: box. (Or more if you have more than one.)
     
     
     
   The result is the following:
   
   
   
• If you don't have any security set up on your home network, select Encryption method: none.
  
  
  
4. Click OK.
   
   
5. Turn Odyssey on if you need to (Settings -> Enable Odyssey).
   
   
6. Click the Connections icon from the left-hand side icon menu. Click on the name of the home network you just added and click in the box next to Connect to Network. Odyssey should open a connection to your network; the status of the connection will be shown by the Odyssey status icons in the lower right of the Client Manager.
   
   
7. Add your home network to the Auto-Scan list:
   1. Click the Auto-Scan Lists icon from the left-hand side icon menu.
   2. Select UIC in the list of available Auto-Scan Lists.
      
      
   3. Click on the Properties button.
   4. From the left window of Available Networks, click on the name of your home network in the left hand list of available networks to select it.
   5. Click on >> to add it to the UIC Auto-Scan list which will already include the UIC-Wireless network.
      
      
   6. Click OK

After that, when you boot up your laptop at home and Odyssey starts, it will find the network with your home network's SSID and automatically connect to it.

If You Don't Know...

But if you don't know your home network's SSID or if you're using dynamic rather than static WEP keys (which are good things, by the way, but Odyssey only supports dynamic WEP keys on Odyssey-supported access points), then the following much less elegant way will work:

• If Odyssey doesn't automatically start up when you boot your laptop, your home wireless should work as usual. (We didn't find instructions on how to install Odyssey so it wouldn't automatically start up, sorry.)
• If Odyssey does automatically start up, then:

1. Exit Odyssey by right-clicking the Odyssey sailboat icon in the Windows System Tray (extreme right-hand side of the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your monitor) and selecting Exit from the right-click menu.
2. Restart the wireless client that came with your wireless card.

With thanks to the ACCC ITL, from whom we lifted them.

1. USING THE ODYSSEY CLIENT EXCLUSIVELY/DISABLING OTHER FORMS OF WIFI NETWORK MANAGEMENT

The Odyssey Client is a great tool, and if used properly it should be the only form of 802.1x network management that you need to use on your computer. To achieve this you should disable the other forms of 802.1x/WiFi network management that may be installed on your machine. (For instance any software-based network management utilities that came bundled with your wifi card, or your operating system's built-in wireless management utility.)

For example, in Windows XP you should disable Windows internal handling of wireless networks by:

1. Start -> Control Panel -> Network Connections
2. Right-click on your wireless network connection
3. Cick on Wireless Networks tab.
4. You will see a checkbox labeled Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings. Be sure that this box is NOT checked.

If the box is checked, or you do not disable any other wireless network management software you will see your wireless connectivity constantly disconnecting and then reconnecting. This is an indication that the Odyssey Client is struggling with another wireless network management client and that the other software should be disabled.

2 - USING ODYSSEY TO FIND OTHER NETWORKS

The Odyssey Client can be used to connect to networks and find SSIDs at public wireless hotspots and conferences. To find and connect to networks, open the Odyssey Client Manager, click the Connections icon from the right left hand side icon menu, and click the Scan button on the right hand side. You will see a listing of all the networks SSIDs that you are in range of. Select a network to connect to. Please note that public wireless networks may not be secure -- you should not send sensitive information across public wireless networks unless you are protected by a VPN client.

3 - HOME WIRELESS TIPS

Home wireless networks are also inherently insecure -- you can take additional steps to make them a bit more secure. Namely, don't broadcast your SSID, use WEP encryption, and restricte access to your access point by MAC address.