Belkin F5D7634-4A-H - Manual (Page 37)

35
G Wireless Modem Router
sections table of contents 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 5
ManUallY ConfIGURInG YoUR RoUTeR
Wired equivalent Privacy (WeP)
WEP is a common protocol that adds security to all wireless products that are compliant with Wi-Fi� WEP was designed to give wireless networks the
equivalent level of privacy protection as a comparable wired network�
64-bit WeP
64-bit WEP was first introduced with 64-bit encryption, which includes
a key length of 40 bits plus 24 additional bits of system-generated data
(64 bits total)� Some hardware manufacturers refer to 64-bit as 40-bit
encryption� Shortly after the technology was introduced, researchers
found that 64-bit encryption was too easy to decode�
128-bit WeP
As a result of 64-bit WEP’s potential security weaknesses, a more
secure method of 128-bit encryption was developed� 128-bit encryption
includes a key length of 104 bits plus 24 additional bits of system-
generated data (128 bits total)� Some hardware manufacturers refer to
128-bit as 104-bit encryption� Most of the new wireless equipment in the
market today supports both 64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption, but you
might have older equipment that only supports 64-bit WEP� All Belkin
wireless products will support both 64-bit and 128-bit WEP�
encryption Keys
After selecting either the “64-bit” or “128-bit WEP” encryption mode,
it is critical that you generate an encryption key� If the encryption key
is not consistent throughout the entire wireless network, your wireless
networking devices will be unable to communicate with one another
on your network and you will not be able to successfully communicate
within your network� You can enter your key by typing in the hex key
manually, or you can type in a passphrase in the “Passphrase” field and
click “Generate” to create a key� A hex (hexadecimal) key is a mixture
of numbers and letters from A–F and 0–9� For 64-bit WEP, you need to
enter 10 hex keys� For 128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 hex keys�
For instance:
AF 0F 4B C3 D4 = 64-bit WEP key
C3 03 0F AF 0F 4B B2 C3 D4 4B C3 D4 E7 = 128-bit WEP key
The WEP passphrase is NOT the same as a WEP key� Your wireless card
uses this passphrase to generate your WEP keys, but different hardware
manufacturers might have different methods for generating the keys� If
you have equipment from multiple vendors in your network, you can use
the hex WEP key from your Router or access point and enter it manually
into the hex WEP key table in your wireless card’s configuration screen�