Wireless Settings 49
Encryption Keys
Figure 35 Encryption Keys Screen
A Key is a hexadecimal (0-9, A-F) number used to encrypt and decrypt the data. There can be up to 4 keys and each key can be as long as 26 digits. The Gateway also offers a number of methods for converting plain text into hex keys. The text is much easier to remember than hex keys but it relies on your wireless adapters also supporting this feature. Different manufacturers have developed different ways of converting plain text and so interoperability is not guaranteed. If you are experiencing difficulty, the Manual Hex Key method is supported by most vendors.
There are four methods available to generate the encryption keys:
■Manual Key Entry - This method allows you to manually enter hex keys. Virtually all manufacturers support this scheme. Enter a two digit hexadecimal number in every box. Hexadecimal numbers are formed from
■3Com Encryption String - This method is supported by 3Com Wireless products. The string can contain any alphanumeric characters and must be between 6 and 30 characters long. A single string will automatically generate 4 unique keys for 64 or 128 bit WEP.
■ASCII - This method is supported by some adapter cards running under Windows XP. The string must be exactly 5 characters for 64 bit WEP and 13 characters for 128 bit WEP. You must enter a separate string for each of the 4 Keys. You can leave a string blank provided this Key is not selected as the Active Transmit Key.
