How do you set up a wireless network with encryption?

When I get to the encryption stage of setting up the wirless network it has 4 options: 64-bit manually or automatically and 128-bit manually or automatically. The automatic options ask for a passphrase. The problem I am having is signing into the network from my laptop. When I try connecting to the network it asks for a network key. Where do I find the network key? Is this the passphrase that I have set? When I try connecting using that passphrase I get an error message saying "The network passwork needs to be 40bits or 104bits depending on the network configuration. This can be entered as 5 or 13 ascii characters or 10 or 26 hexidecimal characters." Can anybody help me to sign into my network??? Thanks

How do you set up a wireless network with encryption?
If you are generating your own network key, what you have to keep in mind is that the key must be the same on you WAP and on your laptop.





If you create a key in, say, 10 hexadecimal characters, manually, make a copy of the key. Install it first on the WAP, then use this key when you are asked for the passphrase to sign onto the network.





BTW, 26 hex characters will give you the full 128-bit encryption which is presently the strongest (unclassified) encryption standard available.


You should then store the key in a safe place, since it will be difficult to remember this complex series on numbers.





Not only your system, but all computers signing onto the network will need this same key (passphrase).
Reply:You don't need encryption. Trust me, no criminal is going to steal your cookie recipe.