3Com WL-305 warranty Attach to any Wlan Service Area automatically, Specify a Wlan Service Area

24CHAPTER 4: SETTING THE WIRELESS CLIENT CONFIGURATION

3In the Security/Network window, WLAN Service Area displays the name of the wireless network with which the wireless PC client can associate. You can change this setting as follows:

Attach to any WLAN Service Area automatically

Check this box to associate the client automatically to the WLAN service area with the best signal strength. This is recommended.

Specify a WLAN Service Area

First uncheck the Attach to any WLAN Service Area automatically box. Then, you can either enter the name of a service area (up to 32 characters long), or select from recently used WLAN service areas or from all available WLAN Service Areas within the range of the client.

Security Settings You can set the level of security used to protect the network communications between the client and the access point from interception by unintended recipients. The security settings must match those that the network administrator has set up on the network. Some security levels require you to supply encryption settings. The levels of security are:

No Security (Open System)	No encryption is used. The network communications could
	be intercepted by unintended recipients.
40-bit Shared Key (Wi-Fi)	This option encrypts the wireless transmissions to protect
	your data and is compatible with other Wi-Fi certified
	wireless PC clients and access points from other
	manufacturers.
128-bit Dynamic Security Link	This option can only be used with a 3Com 11 Mbps
	Wireless LAN Access Point. It is the highest level of security,
	in which you must enter a user name and password. These
	must match the user name and password set up by the
	administrator on the access points with which you
	associate. Each network session automatically creates a
	unique, one-time, 128-bit encryption key. You never have
	to enter a key.

To maintain wireless association between clients and access points, follow these guidelines:

■The security setting on the client and the access points must match exactly.

■For 40-bit Shared Key (Wi-Fi) security, the encryption settings on the client and the access point must match exactly.

■For 128-bit Dynamic Security Link security, the user name and password on the client and the access points must match exactly.

40-bit Shared Key (Wi-Fi) Encryption Settings

40-bit Shared Key (Wi-Fi) security requires you to set up encryption keys. Your network administrator sets up encryption keys for the wireless network and gives you an encryption string or hexadecimal keys.

■An encryption string is a string of characters between 8 and 64 characters long. The string can be any combination of letters and numbers and is case sensitive. The encryption string can be used only with other 3Com 11 Mbps wireless PC Cards and access points.