technical terms in IT

Question: WEP Key - What Are WEP Keys?

WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, a standard for WiFi wireless network security. But what exactly are WEP keys?

Answer: A WEP key is a security code used on some Wi-Fi networks. WEP keys allow a group of devices on a local network (such as a home network) to exchange encoded messages with each other while hiding the contents of the messages from easy viewing by outsiders.

A WEP key is a sequence of hexadecimal digits. These digits include the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F. Some examples of WEP keys are:

• 1A748C9FE2
• 99D767BAC38EA24B0C0178D15

WEP keys are chosen by a network administrator. WEP keys are set on Wi-Fi routers, adapters and other wireless network devices. Matching WEP keys must be set on each device for them to communicate with each other.

The length of a WEP key depends on the type of WEP security (called "encryption") utilized:

• 40- / 64-bit WEP: 10 digit key
• 104- / 128-bit WEP: 26 digit key
• 256-bit WEP: 58 digit key

To assist with the process of creating correct WEP keys, some brands of wireless network equipment automatically generates WEP keys from ordinary text called a passphrase. Some Web sites also offer automatic WEP key generators.