User Manual

Chapter 2. About the Intel® Wireless Gateway
4 Intel® Wireless Gateway User's Guide
WEP key used by the access point because you will ONLY associate to access points that have a
matching WEP Key. For added security, change the encryption key often. WEP, or encryption, is
an optional feature that can be enabled or disabled.
There are two WEP encryption methods: 64(40)-bit and 128-bit. 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, and vice
versa. A 64(40)-bit key consists of 10 hexadecimal numbers in two five-digit groups, arrayed as
follows:
Key #1: 10111 21314
Key #2: 20212 22324
Key #3: 30313 23334
Key #4: 40414 24344
A 128-bit key has several trillion times as many possible combinations than a 64(40)-bit key. It
consists of 26 hexadecimal numbers arranged in two five-digit groups and four four-digit groups,
arrayed as follows:
Key #1: 10111 21314 1516 1718 191A 1B1C
Key #2: 20212 22324 2526 2728 292A 2B2C
Key #3: 30313 23334 3536 3738 393A 3B3C
Key #4: 40414 24344 4546 4748 494A 4B4C
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 64(40)-bit. The method for a wireless client is 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 128-bit encryption.
Example 2
The encryption method is the same for the access point and wireless client. You select key 1 for
the access point and key 2 for the wireless client. The wireless client cannot communicate with the
WLAN. To resolve this problem, select key 1 for the wireless client.
Use the same key and encryption method for the wireless devices in the WLAN. Otherwise, they
cannot communicate with each other.
2.1.2 Roaming
Roaming is the capability of wireless clients to move seamlessly about an area that is covered by
more than one wireless access point.