Chapter 2. About the Intel® PRO/Wireless 2011B LAN Adapter
6
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2011B LAN Adapter Product Reference Guide
PSP mode allows the computer to conserve power by suspending communication for short periods
of time while still associated with an access point. The access point saves data for transmission to
the computer when it wakes at given intervals.
The PSP performance index, which varies from 1 to 5, allows you to specify how often the
computer wakes up to check for data. PSP performance index 1 provides the quickest response time
(shortest sleep interval), while PSP performance index 5 provides efficient power consumption
(longest sleep interval).
2.5
Card and Socket Services
The Intel® PRO/Wireless 2011B LAN Adapter supports Card and Socket services. Card and
Socket Service software packages work with the host computer operating system enabling the
WLAN adapter to interface with host computer configuration and power management functions.
Card and Socket Service software packages include SystemSoft and Phoenix.
2.6
Plug and Play
The Intel® PRO/Wireless 2011B LAN Adapter supports Plug and Play systems. This allows a
computer to recognize the adapter, and to configure the hardware interrupt, memory and device
recognition addresses. This feature simplifies installation and minimizes hardware conflicts.
2.6.1 Data Encryption
The Intel® PRO/Wireless 2011B LAN Adapter uses the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
encryption and decryption algorithm specified in Section 8 of the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN
standard. WEP uses the same key for both encryption and decryption, and provides security
equivalent to that of a wired network, hence the “Wired Equivalent” portion of the name.
The IEEE 802.11 standard defines two types of authentication:
•
Open system authentication is the default authentication service, in which all clients that
request access to the network are accepted, with no actual verification. You should only use
this system if it’s not necessary to positively validate the identity of the sender.
•
Shared key authentication requires the exchange of an authentication key shared among all
of the authentic access points and clients in the network. When a client requests access to the
network, the access point sends a long random number encrypted with the shared key to the
client. The client decrypts the number using the same key and sends it back to the access point,
which only grants access to clients that return the correct number. The Intel® PRO/Wireless
2011B LAN Access Point supports both 40-bit and 128-bit shared key encryption.
If you implement the shared key authentication mode, you must configure all access points and
clients to use the same key.
To implement WEP on each access point, use either a 40-bit key or a 128-bit key. A 40-bit key
consists of 10 hexadecimal numbers in two 5-digit groups, arrayed as follows.
10111 21314
A 128-bit key consists of 26 hexadecimal numbers in two 5-digit groups and four 4-digit groups,
arrayed as follows.
10111 21314 1516 1718 191A 1B1C