How about a bit more about WEP?

How about a bit more about WEP?
WEP encrypts your data so that no one can read it unless they have the key.
That’s the theory behind WEP, anyway. WEP has been a part of Wi-Fi networks
from the beginning. (The developers of Wi-Fi were initially focused on
the business market, where data security has always been a big priority.) The
name itself belies the intentions of the system’s developers; they wanted to
make wireless networks as secure as wired networks.
In order for WEP to work, you must activate WEP on all the Wi-Fi devices in
your network via the client software or configuration program that came with
the hardware. And every device on your network must use the same WEP key
to gain access to the network. (We talk a bit more about how to turn on WEP
in the “Clamping Down on Your Wireless Home Network’s Security” section of
this chapter.)
For the most part, WEP is WEP is WEP. In other words, it doesn’t matter
which vendor made your access point or which vendor made your laptop’s
PC card network adapter — the implementation of WEP is standardized
across vendors. Keep this one difference in mind, however: WEP key length.
Encryption keys are categorized by the number of bits (1s or 0s) used to
create the key. Most Wi-Fi equipment these days uses 128-bit WEP keys, but
some early gear (like the first generation of the Apple AirPort equipment)
supported only a 64-bit WEP key.
A few access points and network adapters on the market even support longer
keys, such as equipment from D-Link, which can support a 256-bit key. Keep in
mind that the longest standard (and common) key is 128 bits. Most equipment
enables you to decide how long to make your WEP key; you can often choose
between 64 and 128 bits. Generally, for security purposes, you should pick the
longest key available. If, however, you have some older gear that can’t support
longer WEP key lengths, you can use a shorter key. If you have one network
adapter that can handle only 64-bit keys but you’ve got an access point that
can handle 128-bit keys, you need to set up the access point to use the shorter,
64-bit key length.
You can almost always use a shorter-than-maximum key length (like using a
64-bit key in a 128-bit-capable system), but you can’t go the other way. So if
you set your access point up to use a 128-bit key, your older 64-bit network
adapter won’t be able to connect to it.