Security Settings - Proxim Harmony 8569 User Manual

Configuration 23

Security Settings

The Harmony 802.11a Access Point offers three security settings: No Security, Use
WEP for Encryption and Authentication, and the Harmony Security Protocol.
WEP Encryption and Authentication
The IEEE 802.11a standard specifies an optional encryption feature, known as Wired
Equivalent Privacy or WEP, that is designed to provide a wireless LAN with a security
level equal to what is found on a wired Ethernet network. WEP encrypts the data
portion of each packet exchanged on the 802.11a network using a 64-bit, 128-bit, or
152-bit encryption key (also known as a WEP Key). In addition, the Harmony 802.11a
Access Points use WEP with Shared Key Authentication to prevent unauthorized
devices from associating with an 802.11a network.
When WEP is enabled, two 802.11a devices must have the same WEP Keys and both
devices must be configured to support WEP in order to communicate. If one device is
configured to use WEP for Authentication and Encryption but a second device is not,
then the two devices will not communicate, even if both devices have the same WEP
Keys. Also, if you want to use WEP and you have multiple 802.11a Access Points
installed on the Harmony System that wireless clients roam between, then you must
enable WEP on all 802.11a Access Points. A 802.11a client that is using WEP cannot
communicate with an Access Point that does not have Use WEP for Encryption and
Authentication enabled.
WEP Keys
An 802.11a device with WEP enabled uses a WEP Key to encrypt and decrypt
information. A user must manually enter the network's WEP Keys on each 802.11a
device. If the WEP Keys do not match on two radios, no data communication will take
place between these devices.
Each Access Point can store up to four WEP Keys. When configuring WEP Keys, enter
the same WEP Keys in the same order on all of the 802.11a devices on your network.
You must also select one default key that the Access Point will use to encrypt data. As
long as the WEP Keys are configured in the same order on each 802.11a device, then
you do not need to configure all of your devices to use the same default key.
For 64-bit encryption, a WEP Key is 10 hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F); for 128-bit
encryption, a WEP Key is 26 hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F); and for 152-bit
encryption, a WEP Key is 32 hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F).