User's Manual Part 1

Identifying a WLAN
An ESSID and BSSID are both Service Set Identifiers (SSID) that identify and control the
wireless client’s access to a given WLAN. The SSID is sometimes referred to as the network
name. The SSID indicates what WLAN you are referring to. In most cases, the user interface
displays the SSID.
When installing an access point or wireless adapter in a wireless client, the installation program
asks you to enter the SSID. Dell cannot provide you with this information, as it is specific to your
network; but you may choose to use the default SSID, wireless, for your Dell Wireless 4350
Small Network Access Point. All wireless clients and access points in a WLAN must use the
same network name.
Encryption
In a WLAN, wireless clients and access points send and receive information through the air.
Without implementing security, it is possible for an unauthorized person to intercept the
information.
A common way of implementing security and protecting information is encryption. Encryption
applies a set of instructions, called an algorithm, to information. The instructions combine the
plain or clear text of information with a sequence of hexadecimal numbers, called an encryption
key.
Before transmitting information over the airwaves, the wireless client or access point encrypts
or scrambles the information. The access point or wireless client receiving the information uses
the same key to decrypt or unscramble the information. The information is only readable to
WLAN devices that have the correct encryption key. The longer the key is, the stronger the
encryption.
The Dell Wireless 4350 Small Network Access Point supports both Wired Equivalent Privacy
(WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
WEP
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) provides a way of creating an encrypted key that is shared
between a wireless client (such as a notebook with a wireless PC card) and the router. In the
Dell Wireless 4350 Small Network Access Point, WEP is an optional feature that can be
enabled or disabled. When WEP encryption is enabled, you must set the WEP key in the client