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By activating and using multiple WEP keys and rotating them frequently — for example, once daily or every other day — you greatly increase the security of your network. Hackers need a lot of time to detect and decrypt a single WEP key, and multiple keys increase that challenge exponentially. Rotating WEP keys provides a way to slightly enhance your network security if your hardware doesn't allow you to use WPA-PSK encryption.
Activating WEP encryption
Follow these steps to activate WEP encryption for your wireless network:
1. Log in to the control panel for your WAP using a Web browser.
2. Locate the wireless security controls in your access point (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Enable WEP encryption.
3. Enable WEP encryption and set the following options:
• Bit Depth: Choose the highest possible setting, which is normally 128-bit.
• Key Type: Choose HEX (hexadecimal) or ASCII. Some wireless devices can only use hexadecimal keys.
4. Enter at least one key and click OK or Apply to apply your changes.
Changing the WEP key
WEP keys are not case sensitive, however, when you set a hexadecimal WEP key you can only use digits 0–9 and letters A–F. A 128-bit WEP key is 26 characters long.
Use these steps to change the WEP key:
1. Log in to the control panel for your WAP using a Web browser.
2. Locate the wireless security controls in your access point.
3. Enter a new key in the access point and then click OK or Apply to apply the new key in the WAP.
4. Open the connection utility in your wireless device.
5. Enter the WEP key in the wireless device and click OK or Apply to apply your new key.
Rotating multiple WEP keys
You can rotate amongst multiple WEP keys to enhance the security of your network. Follow these steps:
1. Log in to the control panel for your WAP using a Web browser.
2. Locate the wireless security controls in your access point.
3. Enter up to four unique WEP keys, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Use multiple keys for greater security.
4. Select which key you want to use today and click OK or Apply to apply your new key.
5. Open the connection utility in your wireless device.
6. Click the arrows next to the Key Index box to choose Key Index 1, 2, 3, or 4.
7. Enter the WEP key matching the Key Index number.
8. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 for each Key Index.
9. Select the currently active Key Index and click OK to close the connection utility.
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