diff --git a/drivers/net/wireless/atmel.c b/drivers/net/wireless/atmel.c
index f23bcd07dee87068644a7ea5c00c78e69b1257b4..bd65c485098c4bb8b33c0fa84d8fffcb0a677b1e 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wireless/atmel.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wireless/atmel.c
@@ -3062,12 +3062,20 @@ static void authenticate(struct atmel_private *priv, u16 frame_len)
 	}
 
 	if (status == WLAN_STATUS_NOT_SUPPORTED_AUTH_ALG) {
-		/* Do opensystem first, then try sharedkey */
+		/* Flip back and forth between WEP auth modes until the max
+		 * authentication tries has been exceeded.
+		 */
 		if (system == WLAN_AUTH_OPEN) {
 			priv->CurrentAuthentTransactionSeqNum = 0x001;
 			priv->exclude_unencrypted = 1;
 			send_authentication_request(priv, WLAN_AUTH_SHARED_KEY, NULL, 0);
 			return;
+		} else if (   system == WLAN_AUTH_SHARED_KEY
+		           && priv->wep_is_on) {
+			priv->CurrentAuthentTransactionSeqNum = 0x001;
+			priv->exclude_unencrypted = 0;
+			send_authentication_request(priv, WLAN_AUTH_OPEN, NULL, 0);
+			return;
 		} else if (priv->connect_to_any_BSS) {
 			int bss_index;