What is WEP

WEP - Wired Equivalency Privacy is a type of encryption used initially as an attempt to secure wireless networks. . Turning off your WEP will allow anybody in your vicinity to easily log into your network and access your system. WEP like all security protocols had its own set of pros and cons and professional hackers can find a work around these.

WEP is popular as a security measure for your wireless network due to its easy usability. Newer and better security measures like DES, Mac address filtering and WPA are now available.

WEP encryption is of two types with the 64bit 10 hex digits and 128 bits 26 hex digits encryption. The latter though slightly more secure also tends to reduce your system performance.

Changing your WEP key often will increase the level of protection to your network.

Read more on our segment on How to secure a wireless network? to learn how to use the WEP encryption.