NETGEAR ME103 - Manual (Page 75)

Reference Manual for the ME103 802.11b ProSafe Wireless Access Point
Wireless Networking Basics B-5
August 2003
Figure 6-2: 802.11 shared key authentication
Overview of WEP Parameters
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption is used when the wireless devices are configured
to operate in Shared Key authentication mode. There are two shared key methods implemented in
most commercially available products, 64-bit and 128-bit WEP data encryption.
Before enabling WEP on an 802.11 network, you must first consider what type of encryption you
require and the key size you want to use. Typically, there are three WEP Encryption options
available for 802.11 products:
1. Do Not Use WEP: The 802.11 network does not encrypt data. For authentication purposes, the
network uses Open System Authentication.
2. Use WEP for Encryption: A transmitting 802.11 device encrypts the data portion of every
packet it sends using a configured WEP Key. The receiving 802.11b device decrypts the data using
the same WEP Key. For authentication purposes, the 802.11b network uses Open System
Authentication.
3. Use WEP for Authentication and Encryption: A transmitting 802.11 device encrypts the data
portion of every packet it sends using a configured WEP Key. The receiving 802.11 device
decrypts the data using the same WEP Key. For authentication purposes, the 802.11 network uses
Shared Key Authentication.
I N TER N ET LO C A L
ACT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
LNK
LNK/ACT
100 Cable/DSL ProSafe Wireless VPN Security Firewall MODEL FVM318
PWR TEST
W LA N
Enable
Access Point 1) Authentication
request sent to AP
2) AP sends challenge text
3) Client encrypts
challenge text and
sends it back to AP
4) AP decrypts, and if correct,
authenticates client
5) Client connects to network
802.11b Authentication
Shared Key Steps
Cable or
DLS modem Client
attempting
to connect