WPA vs. WPA2: Exception for one device?

Solution 1:

This was a concern for a friend with similar old (but still working 10+ years later) Wi-Fi enabled equipment that doesn’t have any updates to WPA2. The old handheld device actually had better Wi-Fi range than just about any current Android phone tested, and was good for free/open Wi-Fi networks like in most stores/restaurants.

1. Your router might have a "WPA/WPA2 Mixed Mode" that would let you connect with WPA/TKIP or WPA2/AES. My router lists it under the Wireless security as "WPA / WPA2 Personal" and Encryption "TKIP / AES".

2. My friends' solution was a router that had built-in “dual SSIDs,” where you can have your regular WPA2 “N” network, and also have a Guest network that used WEP or WPA, and “B” or “G” speeds.

3. Or using a second wireless router hosting the WEP “G” network would work too. An excellent use of an old slow router that otherwise might get tossed away, and you could even unplug it when not using the old device, to lessen the security concerns of having a WEP network. Also, the Guest network or secondary router could be kept separate from your regular network, so even if an unwanted guest got access to it, they wouldn't be able to easily connect to your other devices.

Here’s a few links that could be helpful, centered on using DD-WRT if your router supports it (other firmware like Tomato or OpenWRT should be very similar):

• How to Enable a Guest Access Point on Your Wireless Network
• What is the Difference Between Client Bridge & Wireless Repeater Modes in DD-WRT? (DD-WRT FAQ)

Solution 2:

Before anything, I don’t believe that it is possible to have one Wi-Fi router—or perhaps one unique SSID—set to use mixed WPA2 and WPA connections. That said, I did discover some hope on the Palm TX WPA2 capability side of things. Read on.

So you say this; bold emphasis is mine:

There is no way to upgrade the Palm TX, so any connection would need to be accomplished by making some kind of exception in the router to allow connection of this one device using WPA. Is there any way to do that?

While the rest this answer does not technically answer the core question of setting a WPA exception for one device, based on this March 2010 discussion in this official Palm support thread, a firmware update for the Palm TX that provides WPA2 connectivity—among other things—is available:

You can purchase an upgrade for the Wifi software that will enable WPA2.

While the URL provided seems dead right now, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is quite helpful in providing an archive of that page. That page has links to these documents:

• Wi-Fi® Enterprise Security Update (ESU) for the Palm® T|X Handheld: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
• Wi-Fi® Enterprise Security Update (ESU) for the Palm® T|X Handheld: README and Getting Started (DOC)

Now with all that said, it seems that while the update was once a paid update in 2010 it’s apparently free as of 2013? Or at least someone at HP—which owns Palm assets nowadays—has no problem with a power user on their forum publicly sharing that update for free as of October 2013?

The Dropbox URL a volunteer “HP Expert” provides grabs a file named, TX Security Upgrade.zip which seems to be the real deal. I assume that since the Palm TX is a discontinued/vintage product nowadays HP/Palm has no problem with others passing it along that firmware for free nowadays.