Entering a network key for WEP - what number format do I use?

[KeithP]

My home pc has an NTL cable internet connection. I bought the NTL
recommended Actiontec wirelesss router and plugged it into my cable
modem.
And hey! I can now connect my WiFi laptop to the internet 100 yards
down the street. But, I guess anyone else can do so as well.

So I embarked on enabling WEP. I have set 64 bit encrytion on the
router using entries such as 1A-55-EF-C6-1B in the four key entry
boxes in the WEP options for the router.

I then started to configure the wireless connection on my laptop. I
enable WEP, and have to enter a network key.

What format does this network key take?
Do I string together the four sets of keys I entered for the router?
Do I include the hyphens? Do I leave spaces between the numbers?

I have no idea! I am reasonably pc literate but a complete beginner
when it comes to this stuff.

 

[Barb Bowman [MVP-Windows]]

no hyphens, no spaces, just the letters and numbers.

 

[KeithP]

no hyphens, no spaces, just the letters and numbers.

OK. I entered a key for 128 bit encryption in the style of:

3A-46-FC-66-B1-6F-7E-A3-C7-78-77-ED-B1

Then I entered this in the XP network key box without the hyphens, but
the last two characters wouldn't go in - the entry box was 2 digits
too small.

But it worked anyway.

Out of interest, what is going on? Why doesn't it accept the full
string of digits?

 

[Barb Bowman [MVP-Windows]]

are you sure it didn't get entered? created a file in notepad with the
26 characters, save it, and then copy and paste it into the field for
the encryption key. what happens?