4 Changing Security Settings
41
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
Although your ZoomAir wireless LAN is fairly secure using a
unique SSID, you may desire an additional measure of security.
The IEEE 802.11 standard includes provisions for software en-
cryption called Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP. WEP is a
method of scrambling data before it is sent and reconstructing it as
it is received. If offers a very high level of protection for your data,
but at the cost of some speed on your wireless network. Most
home networks and small offices will not need to implement WEP.
WEP addresses two concerns:
•
Access to your network by intruders using similar wireless
LAN equipment to become unauthorized members of the
network.
•
Eavesdropping on your wireless LAN traffic by capturing its
radio signal.
Access Control
WEP allows you to provide an electronic “key” to your network. It
denies access to your network by anyone who does not have the
key—much in the same way that outsiders are denied access to a
locked building unless they have a key. Users of your network must
exchange information about their current key before their comput-
ers are given access to the network.
Eavesdropping Prevention
The WEP program generates a pseudo-random number for each
packet of information it sends. The packet contents cannot be de-
coded without knowledge of a shared secret key.
Implementing WEP
To implement WEP on your network, do the following:
1
1
In the Configuration tab of the Wireless LAN Configura-
tion Utility dialog box, click on the down-arrow next to
WEP. You will be presented with three choices:
•
Disabled—Members will not have access to WEP-
enabled members and vice-versa.
