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Motorola Series Switch WS5100 User Manual

Page 114

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4-40 WS5100 Series Switch System Reference Guide

Configuring WEP 64

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard.
WEP is designed to provide a WLAN with a level of security and privacy comparable to that of a wired LAN.

WEP 64 is a less robust encryption scheme than WEP 128 (shorter WEP algorithm for a hacker to duplicate),
but WEP 64 may be all that a small-business user needs for the simple encryption of wireless data. However,
networks that require more security are at risk from a WEP flaw. The existing 802.11 standard alone offers
administrators no effective method to update keys.

To configure WEP 64:

1. Select

Network

>

Wireless LANs

from the main menu tree.

2. Select an existing WLAN from those displayed within the

Configuration

tab and click the

Edit

button.

A WLAN screen displays with the WLAN’s existing configuration. Refer to the

Authentication

and

Encryption

columns to assess the WLAN’s existing security configuration.

3. Select the

WEP 64

button from within the Encryption field.

4. Click the

Config

button to the right of the WEP 64 checkbox.

The

WEP 64

screen displays.

5. Specify a 4 to 32 character

Pass Key

and click the

Generate

button.

The pass key can be any alphanumeric string. The switch, other proprietary routers and Motorola MUs
use the algorithm to convert an ASCII string to the same hexadecimal number. MUs without Motorola
adapters need to use WEP keys manually configured as hexadecimal numbers.