Problem setting up Encryption with Wireless Network

[Jake Wade]

I am in the process of setting up aWireless Network at home
:-
1 x desktop, upstairs
1 x laptop, location anywhere
broadband phone connection down stairs.
Equipment = D-Link USB dongle for the PC
D-Link Modem/Router
Laptop is Wi-Fi ready (- but not D-Link)
The set up is up and running OK but without encryption. I am
trying to set up encryption in windows XP but can find no
information on what the NETWORK KEY should consist of for
WEP encryption?
All letters??, numbers?? or a mixture??
Advice requested.!
regards

Jake Wade
remove "tophat" to reply
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I am in the process of setting up aWireless Network at home
:-
1 x desktop, upstairs
1 x laptop, location anywhere
broadband phone connection down stairs.
Equipment = D-Link USB dongle for the PC
D-Link Modem/Router
Laptop is Wi-Fi ready (- but not D-Link)
The set up is up and running OK but without encryption. I am
trying to set up encryption in windows XP but can find no
information on what the NETWORK KEY should consist of for
WEP encryption?
All letters??, numbers?? or a mixture??
Advice requested.!

Read the manual that comes with or is online for your router.
WEP is usually entered as some passkey you make up on the router - then you
have to enter a rather nasty set of characters that produces into your PC to
connect.
WPA - which is better than WEP - is a passcode system.

 

[Jake Wade]

Jake Wade wrote:

SNIP >> SNIP

Read the manual that comes with or is online for your
router.
WEP is usually entered as some passkey you make up on the
router - then you have to enter a rather nasty set of
characters that produces into your PC to connect.
WPA - which is better than WEP - is a passcode system.

**************************************************
Thanks for rapid response!
Yes the manual. It has a quick set up that avoids such
complicated things as encryption. There is a brief referance
to the Configuration Utility which does not state with any
clarity what is required.
I thought that using the WEP encryption supplied with Win XP
would be the easyest first step but I need to know what the
NETWORK KEY should consist off??
All letters, all numbers or hexa dec?
Jake.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thanks for rapid response!
Yes the manual. It has a quick set up that avoids such
complicated things as encryption. There is a brief referance
to the Configuration Utility which does not state with any
clarity what is required.
I thought that using the WEP encryption supplied with Win XP
would be the easyest first step but I need to know what the
NETWORK KEY should consist off??
All letters, all numbers or hexa dec?

Get the manual and FAQs from the WEB PAGE for the device.

When you turn on WEP - it will ask you to enter a passcode.. Enter whatever
you want - it won't matter with WEP - it will generate its own set of
characters (could be mixture, could be all numbers, could be all letters -
it GENERATES it) and you have to enter those characters into the machines
manually. Both the router and wireless card must support WEP in order to
use it.

WPA is easier - as you type in whatever password you want on the router and
that is the same thing you type into each of the machines. Both the router
and wireless cards must support WPA in order to use it.

What will you password be? Don't know. Don't actually care - really. But
if you were to use your name and a year (number) that's pretty weak - don't
you think? Birthdates and such are weak too. Get a bit more creative.

Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
(mileage may vary):

Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
string should contain at least three of these four character types:
- uppercase letters
- lowercase letters
- numerals
- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !,

Passwords should not contain your name/username.
Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.

One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
'Moved to new home in 2002'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Mv2n3whmN02'