User guide

Adding or Modifying Network Properties  63
Chapter 6: Managing Network Access
Preshared Keys (WPA or WPA2)
If you associate using WPA or WPA2 and if you do not generate encryption keys
automatically when associating an authentication profile to the network
connection, you must supply a preshared 8–63 character ASCII passphrase in the
Passphrase field. The passphrase is used as a seed to generate the required keys.
When you use a passphrase, you do not authenticate with a RADIUS server.
Passphrases and static WEP keys apply if you are not connecting to a network that
uses 802.1X authentication, such as home networks, hotspots, and small offices.
Preconfigured Keys (WEP)
WEP keys serve the following purposes:
 They allow you to associate with an access point before a connection can be
established (shared mode).
 They encrypt data between your PC and the access point (or other PCs in a
peer-to-peer network).
See “Wired-Equivalent Privacy” on page 10.
You must configure at least one WEP key if you configure the following types of
network configurations:
 You associate in shared mode. See “Specifying an Association Mode” on
page 60.
 You select WEP encryption for the open association mode and you do not
generate encryption keys automatically. See “Encryption Methods for an
Association Mode” on page 61.
If the network uses 802.1X authentication and if dynamic WEP keys are generated
(if you select Authenticate using profile and Keys will be generated
automatically for data privacy), you do not need to enter preconfigured WEP keys
for data privacy. However, it is possible to use preconfigured WEP keys for
authentication in addition to 802.1X. For example, EAP-MD5 does not generate
WEP keys for data encryption, so you must supply an encryption WEP key when
your profile is set to authenticate with this method.
Enter the WEP keys in fields Key 0 through Key 3. The values entered here must
match those of the access points or peer computer to which you connect. It is most
common for Key 0 to be used, although your network might require other keys as
well. You can enter keys either as ordinary text characters (ASCII) or hexadecimal
characters.
NOTE: If you supply a 64-character passphrase that could form a hexadecimal
number, Odyssey interprets it as a 32-byte hexadecimal value used as the master
key.