configuration confusion

Okay, either my conception of some of these features is off or
implementation/configuration is.

Dell True Mobile 2300 G router, linksys USB G adapter.

I set my SSID, I turned on WEP and entered four keys, I chose HIDE MY
WIRELESS NETWORK (which I assume is disabling SSID Broadcast)

Now I haven't had the time to dig deep and realy learn how these
protocols setup and find eachother, so my understanding my be off.



I had the USB adapter up and working fine. I kept finding a neighbor's
wireless popping up in the list. I decided to try and hop on it, to
see if it was secured. However, my network was in the prefferred list
and it always attached to mine first. So I deleted it from the
preferred list..deleting my encryption key. A minute later the adapter
tells me it found my network.

Now I thought it wouldn't be browseable like that with SSID broadcast
turned off. Isn't that the point of not broadcasting SSID?

Also, I noticed that the WEP has KEY IS PROVIDED TO ME AUTOMATICALLY.
Now I have to wonder about that. If the router just gives the keys to
anyone, doesn't that weaken the encryption scheme. I had thought that
without the keys you not only wouldnt be able to snoop existing
traffic, but you wouldn't be able to join either. On a different
linksys setup we didn't get any signal registering until we entered
the WEP keys. If that isn't true then the only way to block somebody
from joining your network is Mac filtering--which I am implementing
next.
DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)