Dell 2350 User Manual page 13

the access point because you can ONLY connect to access points that have a matching WEP
Key.
NOTE: It is better to change keys frequently. The same algorithm is used for all the
communications that should be protected. If the same key is used, the same
message will give exactly the same cipher text. Then, it will be possible for an
eavesdropper to break the encrypted data. For this reason, it is strongly
recommended to change keys often.
There are two WEP encryption methods:
• •
40(64)-bit Encryption
• •
104(128)-bit Encryption
40-bit and 64-bit encryption are identical. Some vendors use the term 40-bit; others use 64-bit.
A wireless device that claims to have 40-bit encryption interoperates with a device that claims
to have 64-bit encryption; the same is true for the reverse. A 40(64)-bit key consists of 10
hexadecimal numbers, arrayed as follows:
Key #1: 1011121314
Key #2: 2021222324
Key #3: 3031323334
Key #4: 4041424344
A 104(128)-bit key has several trillion times as many possible combinations than a 40(64)-bit
key. It consists of 26 hexadecimal numbers, arrayed as follows:
Key (#1): 101112131415161718191A1B1C
All wireless clients and access points in a WLAN must use the same encryption method and
key. The following two examples stress how important this point is.
Example 1
The encryption method for an access point is 40(64)-bit. The method for a wireless client is
104(128)-bit encryption. The client and access point cannot communicate with each other,
even though the selected key is the same. To resolve this problem, set the access point to use
104(128)-bit encryption.