Ralink RT2561 cards support WPA2 in Win9x/ME after tweaking as described here. Your card comes up as RT2500 which is a related chipset, so it may also work, but I'm not sure.

You can also use a cheap Ethernet->Wifi bridge, which will circumvent any requirements for the OS, since the bridge does all that and the OS just sees a standard Ethernet connection.

dr_st wrote on 2020-03-30, 12:19:

Ralink RT2561 cards support WPA2 in Win9x/ME after tweaking as described here. Your card comes up as RT2500 which is a related chipset, so it may also work, but I'm not sure.

I've looked for latest drivers and found a latest package in the official site with 2004 drivers. It still doesnt work but in the configuration I can now set WPA2 AES config but a the end of the configuration instead of connecting to the network it says to reboot to save configuration and the next time same thing. It sees the networks (eve if WEP anyway) but even if I could configure WPA2 of my router it require to reboot every times...
I follow that guide and update the thread later. 😀

derSammler wrote on 2020-03-30, 12:27:

You can also use a cheap Ethernet->Wifi bridge, which will circumvent any requirements for the OS, since the bridge does all that and the OS just sees a standard Ethernet connection.

This is what i would do as well, much better success rate and doesn't limit you to specific hardware for your retro OS.
You can also use powerline adapters if your router has at least 1 Ethernet connection.

derSammler wrote on 2020-03-30, 12:27:

You can also use a cheap Ethernet->Wifi bridge, which will circumvent any requirements for the OS, since the bridge does all that and the OS just sees a standard Ethernet connection.

That's also a nice idea. I was thinking eventually if everything will fail to work, using a raspberry pi as router with the ethernet port.

386SX wrote on 2020-03-30, 13:42:

derSammler wrote on 2020-03-30, 12:27:

You can also use a cheap Ethernet->Wifi bridge, which will circumvent any requirements for the OS, since the bridge does all that and the OS just sees a standard Ethernet connection.

That's also a nice idea. I was thinking eventually if everything will fail to work, using a raspberry pi as router with the ethernet port.

OpenWRT/DD-WRT on a compatible router is probably a cheaper and easier option.

gdjacobs wrote on 2020-03-30, 14:24:

386SX wrote on 2020-03-30, 13:42:

derSammler wrote on 2020-03-30, 12:27:

You can also use a cheap Ethernet->Wifi bridge, which will circumvent any requirements for the OS, since the bridge does all that and the OS just sees a standard Ethernet connection.

That's also a nice idea. I was thinking eventually if everything will fail to work, using a raspberry pi as router with the ethernet port.

OpenWRT/DD-WRT on a compatible router is probably a cheaper and easier option.

A lot of times wireless "Extenders" will also work as wireless bridges when configured that way. Picked a couple up at a thrift store for less than 10$

You can try using Odyssey or Boingo client software. I had success with Boingo on my Toshiba Libretto with Windows 98.. or maybe it was Odyssey and I used Boingo on my Transmeta Vaio under Win2k. Either way, try Odyssey first since it is the best one by many people's experiences.

Update: at the end I couldn't make it work with the above later drivers but it worked lowering the secure type of connection. I forced the lower end B/G mode and WPA only to see if it works and finally it (sort of) works. The problem is obviously the P2-400 not as fast as I remembered. 😁
I'll try anyway the OpenWRT solution but need to configure it for usb_ethernet packages and I remember was quite long to do.

386SX wrote on 2020-03-30, 18:19:

I'll try anyway the OpenWRT solution but need to configure it for usb_ethernet packages and I remember was quite long to do.

Why? What device are you using to create the bridge?

gdjacobs wrote on 2020-03-31, 05:24:

386SX wrote on 2020-03-30, 18:19:

I'll try anyway the OpenWRT solution but need to configure it for usb_ethernet packages and I remember was quite long to do.

Why? What device are you using to create the bridge?

It's a mobile 3g wifi router that has the usual usb-ethernet connection and I'd need to bridge it to the ethernet port of the raspberry so it would answer to the Win ME machine calls. At the end the WPA solution was quite ok anyway but maybe a ethernet card is less cpu demanding on the whole system, I think the P2-400 with the Win ME os is already showing its limits. I tried in the past there were some packages to install after the openwrt installation to make it working.

derSammler wrote on 2020-03-30, 12:27:

You can also use a cheap Ethernet->Wifi bridge, which will circumvent any requirements for the OS, since the bridge does all that and the OS just sees a standard Ethernet connection.

+1

I think this is the most secure and future-proof solution also.
When WPA3 will be standard in the not so far future, it will definitely pay off.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access#WPA3

While the Ethernet->WLAN bridge I'm using is based on an AMD Geode running DD-WRT as well, with "cheap" I really was refering to those you can get new for about 20 bucks, like e.g. this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014SK2H6W
or this with a second LAN port:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01199OGK0

These ones are even USB-powered, making them very easy to connect.

But of course, you can also build your own bridge.

Thanks for the links, Sammler, didnt know such small devices exist. They seem to be also very usable for ISA-PCs without needing an additional power cable.

For Win9X / PCI systems this card I have currently on my desk seems to be nice, but there may be others:
Belkin PCI Adapter - Windows 98 WLAN with WPA2

386SX wrote on 2020-03-31, 09:52:

gdjacobs wrote on 2020-03-31, 05:24:

386SX wrote on 2020-03-30, 18:19:

I'll try anyway the OpenWRT solution but need to configure it for usb_ethernet packages and I remember was quite long to do.

Why? What device are you using to create the bridge?

It's a mobile 3g wifi router that has the usual usb-ethernet connection and I'd need to bridge it to the ethernet port of the raspberry so it would answer to the Win ME machine calls. At the end the WPA solution was quite ok anyway but maybe a ethernet card is less cpu demanding on the whole system, I think the P2-400 with the Win ME os is already showing its limits. I tried in the past there were some packages to install after the openwrt installation to make it working.

You can get a single port device from e.g. GL.inet for <20 USD.

https://cloakedthargoid.wordpress.com/win9x-wpa2/ is incomplete.

When I install driver for Edimax EW-7128g (RT2561ST) just after installation of Windows 98, then the Ralink utility offers WPA-PSK in Profile "Authentication type". It is vital that "IEEE 802.1X Protocol" gets added to Windows "Network" settings during driver installation, otherwise there will be no WPA-PSK option and manual registry configuration for WPA2 will not work. DHCP will fail if "IEEE 802.1X Protocol" is missing (can sometimes happen). In that case wifi adapter will have local IP and internet will not work. If "IEEE 802.1X Protocol" is missing then you're screwed as it cannot be added without proper disc (for manual installation it is located in MDC section which requires files not present on Windows 98 CD or the wifi driver). I noticed after many Windows 98 re-installations that WPA-PSK option was missing if some network features were not enabled during Windows 98 installation. Therefore enable them all.

It is also possible to get WPA2/PSK working on RT2500 using the same approach but different driver. I have used it successfully until I had to re-install Windows.

Do not switch wifi cards as it can trigger missing "IEEE 802.1X Protocol" bug and WPA-PSK option will be missing as well. Install wifi driver immediately after installing Windows 98.

Thank you for this post! It seems you have found the missing piece of the puzzle that had me stumped for some time.

I've hit this problem after my latest Win98 reinstall. There was no WPA-PSK option, and although I could manually add all the registry settings, which made it look like WPA2 was working, the connection was unsuccessful - DHCP was not working, exactly as you said.

I did not connect it to the missing 802.1x protocol, but thanks to you - now I understand, and I was able to get WiFi connectivity working again on my old Win98 machine, with WPA2!

It seems that certain versions of the Ralink drivers install the 802.1x protocol, while others do not. In my case - the following version worked: IS_AP_STA_6x_D-1.2.3.0_VA-2.1.0.0_2500_D-3.2.0.0_VA-3.2.0.0_RU-2.0.4.0_VA-2.0.4.0_AU-1.2.1.0_VA-1.0.4.0_101707_0.1.0.29.exe, while the newer (D-1.2.6.0) did not.

Currently, the file is available at wifi.uevora.pt. The size is 34,053,718 bytes.

Like you mentioned, I could not get the 802.1x protocol installed manually from the W98SE CD. Locating it in the "MDC" section and clicking "Add" does exactly nothing.

I think I should correct my write-up in the following way:

• Remove bullet (9) about manually adding WPA in registry in case WPA-PSK is not present in the Ralink UI, because this is wrong info - even if set manually, it will fail to connect.
• Add a section explaining the importance of the 802.1x protocol and how its presence can depend on the driver installed.

I also want to mention the version above as one worked for me. Do you recall which driver version(s) worked for you? Please share.

Drivers I tested:

• RT2560F - IS_AP_STA_2500_D-3.2.0.10_VA-3.2.0.0_RU-2.1.3.0_VA-2.1.3.0_AU-2.0.3.0_VA-2.0.3.0_021209_1.0.1.0_Free.exe
• RT2561ST - Edimax_7128G.exe

Both install "IEEE 802.1X Protocol". RT2561ST has more settings in adapter advanced tab.

Presence of "IEEE 802.1X Protocol" is very important for troubleshooting. It is the first thing that should be checked if DHCP doesn't work while wifi appears to be connected (green). It may not be possible to get it with re-installation of the wifi driver and Windows 98 re-installation may be necessary. The 802.1X protocol in MDC section has a slightly different name - "IEEE 802.1X Protocol 2.0.0.4" and cannot be installed without the appropriate driver disk, which I do not have.

Thanks. I've updated the write-up.

Interestingly, my MDC section showed version 2.0.0.9, but like you - I could not get it installed.

Even more interestingly, my WinME installation shows that IEEE 802.1X Protocol 2.0.0.9 in the Network control panel applet, which suggests it may have been present since the original OS install.