WEP Hex Vs. ASCII
Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP, is an early privacy protocol created for wireless networks. WEP takes an ASCII, or plain text, password and converts it to a hexadecimal secret key. The secret key is used by client network devices to obtain access to the wireless network. When setting up client network devices, it's easy to become confused about whether you are supposed to enter an ASCII or hexadecimal value and it's best to standardize on the hexadecimal secret key for all devices. Some devices will refer to the hexadecimal secret key as having different lengths, but there are only two lengths supported by WEP. If you are using WEP, you should strongly consider switching to a more secure protocol such as WPA or WPA2. While WEP provides protection against casual users, it can be "cracked" by someone with a little bit of network knowledge and the right software.
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ASCII Password to Hexadecimal Secret Key
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In a typical wireless router setup for WEP security, you enter a password in ASCII, or plain alphanumeric characters. The router converts the ASCII password into a 40-bit secret key, represented by 10 hexadecimal characters, and provides you with the secret key. Some routers offer the option to use a higher level of WEP encryption, sometimes called WEP2, that converts an ASCII password into a 104-bit secret key, represented by 26 hexadecimal characters.
Client Device Setup
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When you set up the wireless network card of a client device, you can sometimes provide either the ASCII password, which the network card converts into 10 or 26 hexadecimal characters, or the hexadecimal secret key. Pay careful attention to the instructions for the wireless device you are using, because some devices allow you to enter the ASCII password as either an ASCII or hexadecimal number and some devices require you to prefix hexadecimal numbers with "0x." If you enter the hexadecimal secret key in the password field, the device will convert it to a secret key that does not match the router's key. If you enter your ASCII password instead of the hexadecimal secret key, and your ASCII password happens to be 13 characters (which is 26 hexadecimal characters), some network devices will use the hexadecimal version as the secret key and will not be able to connect to the wireless network.
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Equipment From Different Vendors
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When you have a wireless network with different brands of routers and client network cards, it is often easiest to use the hexadecimal secret key created by the first wireless router with each client network device, even when you have the option to enter an ASCII key. Sticking to a standard way of entering WEP security will result in fewer errors and better client support. Also, not every device will accept an ASCII key. Entering the hexadecimal secret key also provides more error checking, as most devices will reject a key that is not either 10 or 26 characters in length.
40-bit vs. 64-bit Encryption
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Some networking vendors will refer to WEP encryption as 64-bit rather than 40-bit, and to the higher WEP encryption as 128-bit rather than 104-bit. When the client network card and the router communicate with the secret key, the wireless card creates a 24-bit initialization vector that it places at the beginning of the WEP encryption key. This results in a combined key that is either 64 bits or 128 bits in length. The user does not see or have control over the 24-bit initialization vector, which typically changes with every transmission from the network device to the router.
Least Secure Protocol
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While WEP encryption provides better security than no encryption at all, it is the least secure option provided by current networking devices. The WEP secret key can be obtained with minimal effort by listening to the conversations between a wireless router and its network clients using commonly available eavesdropping software and any wireless network card. There are more secure protocols available with most current networking devices, such as WPA and WPA2.
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References
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