3com 3CRWE52196 User Guide

Figure 35   Encryption Keys Screen

A 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 Gateway also offers a number of methods for converting plain text 
into hex keys. The text is much easier to remember than hex keys but it 
relies on your wireless adapters also supporting this feature. Different 
manufacturers have developed different ways of converting plain text and 
so interoperability is not guaranteed. If you are experiencing difficulty, the 
Manual Hex Key method is supported by most vendors. 

There are four methods available to generate the encryption keys:

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Manual Key Entry - This method allows you to manually enter hex 
keys. Virtually all manufacturers support this scheme. Enter a two digit 
hexadecimal number in every box. Hexadecimal numbers are formed 
from 0-9 and A-F. 

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3Com Encryption String - This method is supported by 3Com Wireless 
products. The string can contain any alphanumeric characters and 
must be between 6 and 30 characters long. A single string will 
automatically generate 4 unique keys for 64 or 128 bit WEP. 

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ASCII - This method is supported by some adapter cards running 
under Windows XP. The string must be exactly 5 characters for 64 bit 
WEP and 13 characters for 128 bit WEP. You must enter a separate 
string for each of the 4 Keys. You can leave a string blank provided 
this Key is not selected as the Active Transmit Key.