Networking Guide

Networking technology and security has changed somewhat significantly in the last two decades. The standards for WiFi and internet in businesses and homes have changed and evolved with the releases of new network protocols. The original series of AIBO robots is compatible with WEP, which was superseded by WPA in ~2003. WPA became a requirement in 2006 and most manufacturers dropped support for WEP. Because of how bad the security was for WEP, new routers do not support WEP. Therefore, it is necessary to create a separate network with an old router for AIBO models ERS-210, ERS-220, and ERS-7.

This guide will walk you through setting up a WEP network for your AIBO and configuration of the AIBO Entertainment Player for ERS-7. Instructions for ERS-210 software will be added somewhere down the line as well.

Obtaining A Router
Almost any router capable of creating a WEP network will work with AIBO, so if you have one on hand, you should use the extra router you own. With that said, most people do not have a WEP-compatible router laying around in their house. Thankfully, they're cheap- usually around 10 dollars used.

What makes for a compatible router: I'd personally recommend looking for a Linksys WRT54G. They're extremely common and are compatible with lots of firmware. Compatible Linksys models: In bold are the routers purpose-built for this job. They are the best-selling routers of all time, so they're incredibly inexpensive. All versions of the WRT54G, V1 through V8.1, support WEP security.
 * IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.11 connectivity
 * WEP protocol support
 * WRT54G
 * WRT54GS
 * WRT54GL
 * WRTSL54GS
 * WRT54GX

Configuring A Router
Plug your router in and ensure it is powering on properly. Give it a little while to turn on completely. On your computer with your AIBO software installed, connect to the WiFi network created by the router or connect via Ethernet. In your web browser, go to 192.168.1.1 by putting it in your navbar, the same way you would a website. If 192.168.1.1 doesn't work, try 192.168.1.100. This will take you to the router's admin panel. Depending on the kind of router you have, the default admin username and password will change. For Linksys WRT54G routers on the default firmware, the username is "admin" with no password. For routers running the Tomato firmware, the username and password combination is "admin"/"admin" or "root"/"admin" over SSH. Look up the user guide for your router. At this point, you should have full access to the router's settings. Very little, in general, needs to be done here, as your network will not be connected to the internet and will instead act as a private link between your computer and robot. The layout and appearance of your router's admin settings will differ depending on your router and firmware, but all the information works the same way.
 * Wireless should be enabled.
 * You can set the SSID to something memorable if you'd like.
 * In the security tab, category, or section, select the dropdown detailing the different security options and pick WEP.
 * Pick an easy to remember password and generate a WEP key.
 * Select a WEP key and save it in a text document you can access later.
 * Save your settings.