WEP reduces connection reliability

I have a network to which my laptop connects using a Netgear MA401
card to a MA314 wireless router.
If I enable 128-bit WEP, the connection seems to drop every 3-5
minutes despite reporting signal strength as excellent. Without WEP
enabled (a situation I do not enjoy being in) the connection is
reliable and does not drop.

My laptop is running XP home, and both the router and drivers are
fully up to date with respect to patches.

Is there any way I can enable WEP and have a reliable link, and if
not, is there a way of securing my network from at least casual
break-ins?

Thanks in advance
Mark Roberts

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"Mark Roberts" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Is there any way I can enable WEP and have a reliable link, and if
> not, is there a way of securing my network from at least casual
> break-ins?

One way to at least secure your laptop from casual break-ins would be to
turn off SSID Broadcast. That way someone would have to know your SSID (or
very intentionally seek it out) in order to access your network.


Richard Kaplan
(E-Mail Removed)
www.flyimc.com