How To Configure Encryption Mode

I'm using a Netgear wg311v3 under Fedora 8. I've got everything
(finally) working, including WEP encryption, but I've heard that WEP is
not secure. The man page for iwconfig doesn't list anything about
changing the encryption mode. How to do?
--
% Randy Yates % "Maybe one day I'll feel her cold embrace,
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % and kiss her interface,
%%% 919-577-9882 % til then, I'll leave her alone."
%%%% <(E-Mail Removed)> % 'Yours Truly, 2095', *Time*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

Randy Yates <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:

> I'm using a Netgear wg311v3 under Fedora 8. I've got everything
> (finally) working, including WEP encryption, but I've heard that WEP is
> not secure. The man page for iwconfig doesn't list anything about
> changing the encryption mode. How to do?

PS: I'd like to change it to WPA. Apparently the default is WEP.

PSS: I'm under the impression that you must configure the NIC encryption
mode to match the access point encryption mode. Is this correct, or is
there some method that the AP automatically informs the NIC of the
encryption mode?
--
% Randy Yates % "With time with what you've learned,
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC % they'll kiss the ground you walk
%%% 919-577-9882 % upon."
%%%% <(E-Mail Removed)> % '21st Century Man', *Time*, ELO
http://www.digitalsignallabs.com

Randy Yates wrote:
> Randy Yates <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:
>
>> I'm using a Netgear wg311v3 under Fedora 8. I've got everything
>> (finally) working, including WEP encryption, but I've heard that WEP is
>> not secure. The man page for iwconfig doesn't list anything about
>> changing the encryption mode. How to do?
>
> PS: I'd like to change it to WPA. Apparently the default is WEP.
>
> PSS: I'm under the impression that you must configure the NIC encryption
> mode to match the access point encryption mode. Is this correct, or is
> there some method that the AP automatically informs the NIC of the
> encryption mode?

I use hostapd to get wpa encryption for my wireless LAN.

->HS

Randy Yates <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I'm using a Netgear wg311v3 under Fedora 8. I've got everything
> (finally) working, including WEP encryption, but I've heard that WEP is
> not secure. The man page for iwconfig doesn't list anything about
> changing the encryption mode. How to do?

> PS: I'd like to change it to WPA. Apparently the default is WEP.

You need to ensure that all devices can handle your encryption method
of choice. On Linux boxes the usual application is wpa_supplicant.
Unfortunately I can't help you configure it under FC8 as I use Debian,
but I'm sure you'll find HOWTOs now you know the package name.

As a hint, use a pseudo-random sequence of characters that is longer
than 12 or so. Shorter than eight and you can potentially open up your
network to a dictionary (brute force) attack.

Chris