Wireless Router Configuration - Security - WEP

Wireless Router Configuration - Security - WEP

Enabling WEP is the final step in configuring wireless security for a Wireless Router. WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, and is a type of encryption, using WEP by it self is NOT recommended.

When WEP is used in combination with Wireless MAC Address Filtering, changing the SSID, and disabling SSID broadcast, it is truly a effective security measure, WEP alone can leave the Wireless Network much more vulnerable to attack.

If Wireless MAC Address Filtering, changing the SSID and disabling the SSID have not been done, please click on the Back button and start with which ever step has not been done.
Setting up WEP on a
WRT54G v1.1
1.From the "Wireless" area, click on the Wireless Security sub-tab.
2.When the "Wireless Security" area opens, select WEP from the "Security Mode" drop down list.
3.After the page refreshes, please set the following:

oWEP Encryption: This can be set to either 128 bit or 64 bit. If there are no Windows XP computers on the network and all of them have Linksys Wireless adapters then we recommend using 128 bit with a Passphrase (will be explained later), however if there are Windows XP computers and/or non Linksys adapters, then we recommend using a 64 bit key.

With a 64 bit key there are only 10 digits to input, with a 128 bit key there are 26 characters that would need to be input. This can cause a problem (especially in Windows XP) because when a key is input manually, being 1 digit can make the unit not work. The reason this is important is because on Windows XP and some non-Linksys adapters have their WEP key fields similar to a password field which can make inputting 26 characters correctly quite cumbersome, which is why Linksys recommends using 64 bit in those circumstances.

oPassphrase: A Passphrase is similar to a password, it should be something with both numbers, letters, and no spaces, do not use an address, or a name, or anything that may be allow someone to trace the location. An example would be Stap1e431, this is the word "Staple" with a 1 replacing the letter 'i'. There is also a capital letter and more numbers after the word.

After inputting the "Passphrase" click on the Generate button, this will generate 4 sets of keys, make note of Key 1 and the Passphrase on a piece of paper. "Key 1" must be used on all Windows XP and all Non-Linksys wireless adapters, and the "Passphrase" can be used on Linksys adapters running on Windows 98SE/ME/2000.

4.After closing the configuring the WEP settings, click the Save Settings button, then a page will appear prompting that the settings were successful, and when that page appears, click on the Continue button and the Wireless Router will setup for WEP.


Before finishing this area please remember configure each wireless adapter with the WEP key or Passphrase. If there are non-Linksys adapters on the network, please check with the manufacturers of those network adapters for setup information.

Wireless Router Configuration - Changing Channels

Changing Channels on a Wireless Router can help get better signal and help packet loss.

Most commonly channels are changed to help resolve Wireless interference issues where there is another 2.4 GHz device causing wireless interference.
Adjusting Channels
On the "Basic Wireless Settings" page, there is a "Channel" area, in that area, click on the drop down list and use only channels 1, 6, or 11. These channels do not "Overlap" with any other channels, and will give the clearest signal.

After changing the channel, click on the Save Settings button on the "Basic Wireless Settings" screen, then a page will appear prompting that the settings were successful, and when that page appears, click on the Continue button.

After applying the settings, see if the Wireless signal is better or worse, if it is not better or if it is worse, then try another channel.