Issues with setting WPA key on Zyxel NR5103E router

[EDIflyer]

Hi

Firmware V1.00(ACBJ.0)b12

I'm trying to setup the WiFi network on my new NR5103E. I have an existing (long!) WPA key that I wish to use and is already entered on multiple devices from my previous router setup. Some of these devices don't support special characters however the web UI interface blocks entries that don't conform to a pre-defined spec - this is despite the default random password that comes with the router (and is generated if you select 'random password') doesn't conforming with that same spec either!! In addition I found an interesting bug in that the UI script as currently written doesn't seem to properly check the passwords anyway (see screenshot below where what to me looks like a compliant password isn't accepted).

I read on ISPreview.co.uk about the potential to use SSH access to change things manually and have found that if I split 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks I can manually change the 5GHz password via SSH (and existing devices then connect fine), however I always get an error when trying to change 2.4GHz one (see screenshot below - top two lines also show me building the command with the ? function and it being valid). 

So I guess 2 questions (paging @JonathanB 😉😞

1. can the firmware please be fixed to allow customers to set their own passwords (after getting them to agree to a disclaimer if necessary!) without having to conform to the mandatory special character + number + uppercase + lowercase rule and
2. in the short term does anyone know why the 2.4GHz SSH command isn't working when the basically identical 5GHz one works?

I've also found if you combine 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and manually change the 5GHz via SSH it says 'command successful' but actually doesn't change it.

The additional security from special characters is questionable and quite a few IoT devices have issues with it (presumably why the built-in default password doesn't use them either!) so I'd be really keen to have this fixed.

Thanks 😀

SSH commandscharacter restrictions that haven't been applied to default password

[Anvil_Iron]

Hi, Did you get the warning message before or after making changes to the password in the CLI? If after, the non-conforming password "testingvalue" could be still present and confusing the system. Entering "Tgh123@r3r3" into my Zyxel router was fine with no CLI changes.

Try entering the password "Tgh123@r3r3" via the CLI command to see if it clears the warning. Otherwise the router may need a factory reset.

[EDIflyer]

Not sure but poor coding if it doesn't take what was just entered in the web UI! 😉

Regardless I don't want to change the password to include special characters so would still like the system changed to allow that (esp given the default password doesn't include them, most likely in recognition of the issue some devices have with them).

@JonathanB are you able to help?

[JonathanB]

Hey @EDIflyer,

Sorry for the delay in picking this one up. I can't guarantee any changes, but I'll certainly pass your feedback on, and if I find out anything I can share that will be helpful in relation to this I'll let you know.

Thanks,
JonathanB

[EDIflyer]

Many thanks Jonathan - hopefully the above explains things clearly enough but please just let me know if any further info required.

[Hello1024]

It is possible to bypass the password complexity checks in the WebUI by using the web inspector, the sources tab, app.js file, search for "checkPasswordStrenth:", put a breakpoint on the line below that, then whenever that breakpoint is hit, put the following into the console:

t= 'ruleMeetingComplexPassword!11"

and click continue.

This will let you bypass the warning and set any password you like.

[EDIflyer]

Sounds like a nice workaround, thanks.  Hopefully they'll fix this bug in the firmware too (as I say esp given the default password doesn't comply with their rules!)

[HowieB]

How do I get to this point?

Thanks

[HenryL]

@Hello1024 I can't seem to get your workaround to function for me. I can get the break point to pause using but I get an error when I enter t= 'ruleMeetingComplexPassword!11" into the console and hit enter - am I doing something wrong?

[HenryL]

This is the error I'm seeing: 

Any ideas?!