Chapter 3 - Software Configuration
Relationship among keys
Authentication Method | Encryption | Passphrase | WEP Key 1~4 |
Open System or Shared Key | None | Not required | Not required |
| WEP-64 bits | 1~64 characters | 10 hex digits |
| WEP-128 bits | 1~64 characters | 26 hex digits |
Shared Key | WEP-64 bits | 1~64 characters | 10 hex digits |
| WEP-128 bits | 1~64 characters | 26 hex digits |
WPA-PSK | TKIP only | 8~63 characters | Not required |
| AES only | 8~63 characters | Not required |
Encryption
If the Open System or Shared Key or Shared Key authentication method is used, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption is applied. If the WPA- PSK method is used, a newly proposed TKIP or AES encryption in WPA is applied.
Enabling WEP can protect your data from eavesdroppers. If you do not need this feature, select None to skip the following setting. The ASUS Wireless "WL-HDD" supports both 64-bit and 128-bit encryption using the WEP algorithm. Select the type of encryption you want to use (64 or 128 bit) and configure one to four WEP Keys. The 128-bit method is more secure than the 64-bit method.
64/128 bits versus 40/104 bits
You may be confused about configuring WEP encryption, especially when using multiple wireless LAN products from different vendors. There are two levels of WEP Encryption: 64 bits and 128 bits. 64-bit WEP and 40-bit WEP are the same encryption method and can interoperate in the wireless network. This lower level of WEP encryption uses a 40 bit (10 hex digits [0~9, a~f, and A~F]) as a “secret key” (set by user), and a 24 bit “initialization vector” (not under user control). This together makes 64 bits (40 + 24). Some vendors refer to this level of WEP as 40 bits and others refer to this as 64 bits. ASUS WLAN products use the term 64 bits when referring to this lower level of encryption. Secondly, 104 bit WEP and 128 bit WEP are the same encryption method and can interoperate in the wireless network. This higher level of WEP encryption uses 104 bits (26 hex digits) as a “secret key” (set by user), and a 24 bit “initialization vector” (not under user control). This together makes 128 bits (104 + 24). Some vendors refer to this level of WEP as 104 bits and others refer to this as 128 bits. ASUS WLAN products use the term 128 bits when referring to this higher level of encryption.
