What do WEP and WPA mean? (2024)

FAQs

How do I find my WEP or WPA key or Wi-Fi password? ›

The WPA Wi-Fi protocol is more secure than WEP, because it uses a 256-bit key for encryption, which is a major upgrade from the 64-bit and 128-bit keys used by the WEP system. WPA also uses the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), which dynamically generates a new key for each packet, or unit of data.

The Wifi Settings opens. Click Manage known networks. Click the current wifi network your are connected to, and click Properties. Next to Security type, if it says something such as WEP or WPA2, your network is protected.

As you are trying to connect your printer to your network, you need to know the WEP, WPA or WPA2 wireless password (security key)that you've previously established on your router - it's that wireless password that you're being asked for on the printer setup screen.

A 64-bit WEP key is usually entered as a string of 10 hexadecimal (base 16) characters (0–9 and A–F). Each character represents 4 bits, 10 digits of 4 bits each gives 40 bits; adding the 24-bit IV produces the complete 64-bit WEP key (4 bits × 10 + 24-bit IV = 64-bit WEP key).

In your router's settings, look for a "security" or "wireless security" tab. Open this tab, and the WPA key should be displayed.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol, specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard, 802.11b. That standard is designed to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a level of security and privacy comparable to what is usually expected of a wired LAN.

You can usually find your WPA2 password in your router's security settings and will get asked for a new password when setting up your home network. You may get tempted to skip adding a WPA2 password during your wireless setup because you fear forgetting a password.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a security standard for computing devices equipped with wireless internet connections. WPA was developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to provide more sophisticated data encryption and better user authentication than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), the original Wi-Fi security standard.

It is based on parts of the 802.11i standard. It was developed as an interim standard by the WiFi Alliance to replace the older WEP, which had many security vulnerabilities. It was adopted officially in 2003. WPA is backward-compatible and was designed to be used with existing legacy hardware that used WEP.

What is the WEP button on my router? ›

The WPS button simplifies the connection process

Press the WPS button on your router to turn on the discovery of new devices. Then, go to your device and select the network you want to connect to. The device is automatically connected to the wireless network without having to enter the network password.

To connect to any Wi-Fi network, you need the SSID (network name) and the network password. WPA2 (of some sort) is the Wi-Fi network security being used with this Wi-Fi, and the password is the network password you've set for the Wi-Fi network.

WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, and WPA stands for Wireless Protected Access. WPA2 is the second version of the WPA standard. Using some encryption is always better than using none, but WEP is the least secure of these standards, and you should not use it if you can avoid it.

If the password you are entering for your home network is correct but the printer is saying it's incorrect, here are some things to try: Try setup using a different device (phone, tablet, computer) Move the printer closer to the connection source. Unplug and plug the power cord back in, then try connecting again.

On your iPhone, go into Settings/Cellular/Personal Hotspot and it should be under Password. That will be your WEP key. You can also change it to anything else. It only affects your hot spot.