A few weeks ago, Buffalo mentioned that their AOSS (AirStation One-Tocuh Secure System) was worth a look in light of security issues: I wasn't dubious that AOSS worked, but a doubting Thomas wants to press the button himself. The way that AOSS is supposed to work is that you install the Wi-Fi card, install the client software, turn on and configure the base station, and then press a button on the base station for a few seconds. This AOSS button enables the negotiation mode. In the client software on your laptop, you click the Profiles tab and click the AOSS button. Sit back and wait a few minutes, and the connection is negotiated securely so that a mutually agreed upon WPA key can be delivered to the client card. (The drawback: AOSS works only with Buffalo equipment, and only certain devices, though that list keeps growing.)
My problems started immediately, as I was unable to get the client software to properly recognize the Buffalo adapter. I tried installing and uninstalling, disabling Wireless Zero Configuration, and the usual troubleshooting. I even got a Buffalo technical support manager on the phone who walked me through a number of steps. No luck.
It turns out that the eMachines laptop I was using already has a Broadcom-based Wi-Fi adapter built in. I knew this, but I didn't know that the two sets of drivers would interfere. Possibly something to do with NDIS 5.1, which makes all Wi-Fi adapters look sort of similar to the system.
An officemate brought in his Dell laptop that lacked an internal Wi-Fi device, and I followed Buffalo's manual. This time, no problem. There are about six steps that take you from start to finish, but it's really one touch for the security portion.