wireles networking questions regarding WEP

[rookie1010]

on my laptop, with open and shared i get the option of WEP and disabled for encryption. so if i go for shared WEP, does that mean i can disable the encryption?

does shared key encryption force wep encryption?

i guess with open system, there is no challenge, authentication, but pure encryption on both sides and clients access the system
i did some searching on the net, and came across this site
[L=http://www.eui.eu/CS/DocumentDetail.jsp?query=&ID=162]http://www.eui.eu/CS/DocumentDetail.jsp?query=&ID=162[/L]

it says "With open key authentication, even if a client can complete authentication and associate with an AP", i dont understand how does a client authenticate on an open system, i thought there was no authentication in the open mode, or is that use of WEP with 802.1x, that is the enterprise mode, correct?

i am getting confused here.

can you guys tell me how to turn off the broadcast of the SSID from my access point?
i guess i would have to make corresponding changes in my client(laptop)

if you visit a public hotspot, how do you know if it supports WEP or WPA?

i guess if i change my WEP 64 bit to 128 bit, i have to double the length of my WEP key, correct?

 

[TheEnd187]

to hide te sid on your aces point you shold lon onto it first then dsable sid from the wireles security features

 

[rookie1010]

thanks for the reply,

is the default channel 6, if i change the channel, then would the client(laptop) search for the channel automatically

i only have the following options, how can i dusable the SSID?

Interface Enabled *:
Physical Address:
Network Name (SSID)*:
Interface Type:
Actual Speed:
Channel Selection:
Channel:
Allow multicast from Broadband Network:

what is the difference between automatic and manual channel selection?

 

[TheEnd187]

sorry for the typos my keybord is running out of juice

 

[TheEnd187]

what type of router/access point do you have?

 

[rookie1010]

thanks for the reply

my access point is a Wireless Access Point - BTHomeHub-1B26