3Com OfficeConnect 3CRWE51196 User Manual

Also see for 3CRWE51196 - OfficeConnect Wireless Cable/DSL Gateway: User guide Using Setting up Installation guide Supplementary guide

Contents

36 CHAPTER 5: GATEWAY CONFIGURATIONEncryption Figure 31 Encryption ScreenWired Equivalent Privacy or WEP allows you to encrypt the traffic between yourWireless PC and the Gateway. It is important to remember that with WEP disabledanyone with a Wireless PC can eavesdrop on your network. 3Com recommendsthat you get the network working with WEP disabled first and then enable it asthe last step. This will simplify setting up your network.If you enable WEP on the Gateway, you must reconfigure your wireless PCs to useexactly the same Encryption Type and Keys otherwise the devices will notunderstand each other.WEP is for securing data transmitted through wireless communications betweenthe Gateway and it's wireless clients. Enabling WEP has no security effect on datatransmitted through wired (Ethernet) connections or through your connections tothe Internet.Wireless Encryption TypeThere are two levels of encryption available, 64 bit (sometimes referred to as 40bit) and 128 bit. 128 bit will result in a higher level of security, but may cause aslight decrease in performance. Use the "Wireless Encryption Type" box to selectthe desired level.Encryption KeysFigure 32 Encryption Keys ScreenA Key is a hexadecimal (0-9, A-F) number used to encrypt and decrypt the data.There can be up to 4 keys and each key can be as long as 26 digits. The Gatewayalso offers a number of methods for converting plain text into hex keys. The text ismuch easier to remember than hex keys but it relies on your wireless adapters also