Operation Manual

8
Your network can only be operated in the 2 following conditions:
♦ No security activated, neither in the Access Point, neither in the client stations
♦ Security activated (recommended for securing your data) in the Access Point and on all client
stations with the same characteristics of encryption.
1) Security disabled on Access Point.
If your Access Point works without security, your wireless LAN adapter also has to be set without
WEP. Check in the main screen of the Utility that the Security Enabled check box is unchecked.
2) Security enabled on Access Point.
Beware that if you enable security on your adapter, you necessarily have to enable the type of
security on the Access Point side, as well, if you want your adapter to be able to associate with it.
Go the Configuration tab in the main screen of the Utility and activate the Security Enabled check
box.
The “Security” window then shows up.
Here we will explain how to configure open security with WEP and WPA-PSK security with TKIP.
2.1) WEP encryption :
In the window “ Security”, you will have to :
♦ select authentication : Open
♦ encryption is fix to WEP
♦ disable IEEE 802.1X authentication mode
♦ select the WEP type : 64 bits or 128 bits
♦ select the index key
♦ select the way to generate the encryption keys (from a passphrase or manually)
Length of the WEP keys
WEP protocol offers two levels of encryption: encryption based on 40 or 64 bits key length and
more secure encryption based on 104 or 128 bits key length.
The
40 bits keys and the 64 bits keys are the same, if their effective length is 64 bits, only 40 bits
are selected by the user, the others bits are automatically calculated. Speak about 40 bits keys or
64 bits keys is the same thing. It is identical for the 104 and 128 bits keys.
The principle of management is identical for both 64 bits and 128 bits.
The key length has to be set at the same value on the Access Point and on the client station
(Wireless LAN adapter in our case).