Asus WL-169gE - Manual (Page 23)

ASUS WLAN Card 23
Chapter 3 - Software Reference
Chapter 3
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2. Automatic Generation - Type a combination of up to 64 letters,
numbers, or symbols in the Passphrase box, the Wireless Settings Utility
automatically uses an algorithm to generate four WEP Keys.
Select one as your Default Key
The Default Key field allows you specify which of the four encryption keys is to
use for transmitting data over wireless LAN. You can change the default key
by clicking on the downward arrow, selecting the number of the key you want
to use, and clicking the “Apply” button. If the access point or station with which
you are communicating uses the identical key by the same sequence, you can
use any of the keys as the default on your WLAN Card.
Click the “Apply” button after you have created the encryption keys, the
Wireless Settings Utility uses asterisks to mask your keys.
64/128bits versus 40/104bits
There are two levels of WEP Encryption: 64 bits and 128 bits.
Firstly, 64 bit WEP and 40 bit WEP are the same encryption method and
can interoperate in the wireless network. This lower level of WEP encryption
uses a 40 bit (10 Hex character) as a “secret key” (set by user), and a 24 bit
“Initialization Vector” (not under user control). This together makes 64 bits (40 +
24). Some vendors refer to this level of WEP as 40 bits and others refer to this
as 64 bits. Our Wireless LAN products use the term 64 bits when referring to
this lower level of encryption.
Secondly, 104 bit WEP and 128 bit WEP are the same encryption method and
can interoperate in the wireless network. This higher level of WEP encryption
uses a 104 bit (26 Hex character) as a “secret key” (set by user), and a 24 bit
“Initialization Vector” (not under user control). This together makes 128 bits
(104 + 24). Some vendors refer to this level of WEP as 104 bits and others
refer to this as 128 bits. Our Wireless LAN products use the term 128 bits when
referring to this higher level of encryption.