Security; Wep Encryption - Proxim Harmony 8550 Manual

Security

The IEEE 802.11b 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 802.11b network using
either a 40-bit or 128-bit encryption algorithm. In addition, WEP is also used in conjunc-
tion with the optional Shared Key Authentication algorithm to prevent unauthorized
devices from associating with an 802.11b network.
You can configure and view the following 802.11b Access Point WEP Security
parameters.
Note:
This screen is not available if the Access Point is operating in Dependent mode.
In that case, use the Harmony System's Web browser interface to configure the
AP's Security parameters.

WEP Encryption

The Harmony 802.11b Access Point offers four configuration options for WEP
Encryption: Off, Encryption, Authentication, and Authentication and Encryption.
When set to Off, the Access Point does not encrypt any data or authentication packets.
When set to Encryption, the Access Point only uses WEP to encrypt data. Two
802.11b devices must have the same WEP Keys to exchange data. For authentication
purposes the Access Point uses Open System Authentication, which allows any 802.11b
device to associate with an 802.11b network.
When set to Authentication, the Access Point uses WEP only during authentication; this
corresponds to Shared Key Authentication.
Shared Key Authentication requires that two 802.11b devices must have the same WEP
Keys in order to communicate. In addition, both devices must be configured to support
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