I need the WEP security passphrase or key. - Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Broadband Router (12503024)

The encryption key secures your data from unauthorized access.
The router's password is a Passphrase or the WEP or WPA orWPA2 encryption key. The Passphrase generates the WEP or WPA or WPA2 encryptionkey and this is in the router's wireless settings. To connect to your wireless router, it needs the router'swireless settings configured ie SSID, WPA or WPA2 encryption key and also thewireless cards in all the laptops and or computers needs to be configured withthese router's wireless settings. Then the laptops and desktop computers cancommunicate with your wireless router.

Sounds like your wireless network is setup to require a password (it has encryption) most commenly used is WPA, WEP and WPA2, you will have to ask the person who setup the network for the password.

Here is some more information from the NETGEAR site on WEP encryption for a wireless network:

What is WEP Encryption for Wireless Networks? Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol for wireless networks that encrypts transmitted data . It's easy to configure. Without any security your data can be intercepted without difficulty.
However, WEP was an early attempt to secure wireless networks, and better security is now available such as DES, VPN, and WPA. See the Guide to Internet Security to learn about network security.
WEP has three settings: Off (no security), 64-bit (weak security), 128-bit (a bit better security). WEP is not difficult to crack, and using it reduces performance slightly.
If you run a network with only the default security, where WEP is turned off, any of your neighbors can immediately log on to your network and use your Internet connection.

• For wireless devices to communicate, all of them must use the same WEP setting. (40-bit and 64-bit WEP encryption are the same thing - 40-bit devices can communicate with 64-bit devices.)

While there is no extra performance cost to encrypting the longer key, there is a cost to transmitting the extra data over the network. 128-bit security is not much more difficult than 64-bit to crack, so if you are concerned about performance, consider using 64-bit. If you're very concerned about security, use WPA, which replaces WEP with a protocol that is - given current technology - impossible to crack. There's a good overview in What's New in Security: WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access).
The WEP concept of passphrase is introduced so that you do not have to enter complicated strings for keys by hand. The passphrase you enter is converted into complicated keys. Choose passphrases with the same care you would important passwords.

• With 128-bit encryption, you need to enter a passphrase to generate each key.
• All four keys must be specified, because WEP switches between them to make your traffic more difficult to break.
• All devices within your LAN must use the same passphrases (i.e., the same keys).

WEP is not necessary if you have a gaming console such as PlayStation or Xbox, and there are no other computers on the network.
Read Instructions on how to Configure Wireless Security (WEP/WPA/Access list). Instructions are also included on the User Manuals and Reference Manuals for wireless products (available on the Product page on this site as downloads).

Doc ID: N100684.asp April 7, 2003

Enable wireless security on your router, so that other people will not be able to connect to your network.

To enable wireless security, access the setup page of the router through a web browser. Type 192.168.2.1 in the address bar.

By default, leave the password blank.

Once in the setup page, go to Wireless. Take note of your SSID. Then go to Security.

Select WEP or WPA, depending on the operating system and capabilities of your wireless computer. If in doubt, you may use WEP since it is the legacy wireless standard.

You can enter your WEP key manually by typing in the hex WEP key manually, or you can type a passphrase in the “PassPhrase” field and click “Generate” to create a WEP key from the passphrase.

Make sure to take note of the WEP key because you will be needing this for your wireless computer.

Click Apply Changes.

On your wireless computer, view the available wireless networks, select your SSID, then type the WEP key.

I hope this helps!

Your printer is saying that you should secure your wireless internet. Try resetting the router by holding the reset button located on the back for at least 30 seconds.

To add the printer to your wireless network, you need to know the name (SSID)
of your wireless network. If it has security enabled, you also need to know the
WEP key or passphrase. Write down the SSID and WEP key or passphrase below:
■ Network name (SSID): _________________________________________
■ WEP key or passphrase: _________________________________________
Note:
If the WEP key is either 5 or 13 characters, it’s ASCII. If the WEP key is either 10 or 26
characters, it’s hexadecimal. The default WEP key is usually 1.
If your passphrase contains upper- or lowercase letters, be sure to note it correctly.
The printer supports the following wireless security modes: WEP 64, WEP 128, and
WPA-PSK.
If you don’t know your wireless network name (SSID) or WEP key or passphrase,
contact the person who set up your wireless network before you begin.


Insert the printer software CD.
2. Windows Vista®: If you see the AutoPlay window, click Run Epsetup.exe.
When you see the User Account Control screen, click Continue.
Windows® XP: When you see the Software installation screen, continue with
step 3.
Mac OS® X: Double-click the icon.
3. Click Install.

1.Make sure that the printer is turned on.
2. When you see the FireWall Warning screen, click Next.
3.Make sure you connected the Ethernet cable

Probably means that the security is turned on, if the wireless doesn't work even after you have entered the right password then press and hold the reset button on the back of the router to restore it to defaults - factory defaults just like it was first powered on.

For wireless security you can select WEP or WPA security. Some are specific lengths but within reason you can choose your own. Set in on the router first then on the computer. You may need to set up the router with a wired connection

From User's Manual: In order to configure and enable WEP encryption; click Network>Wireless Lan to display the General screen. Select Static WEP from the Security Mode list.

For Passphrase: Enter a Passphrase (up to 32 printable characters) and click Generate. The ZyXEL Device automatically generates a WEP key.

Click Here to Download the User's Manual in PDF format.

Click here for a link to the instruction manual. All this was retrieved from p.48
First off make sure your wireless connection is working
1. On the Setup tab of the Router’s web-based utility, click the Enable radio button next to WEP. Then click the Edit WEP Settings button.
2. You will see the 2.4GHz, 54g, Wireless-G (WEP) screen (Figure C-1). Next to Default Transmit Key, select which WEP key (1-4) will be used when the
Router sends data. Make sure the receiving device is using the same key.
3. For the WEP Encryption drop-down box, select the level of WEP encryption you wish to use, 64-bit 10 hex digits or 128-bit 26 hex digits. Higher encryption levels offer higher levels of security, but due to the complexity
of the encryption, they may decrease network performance.
4. Instead of manually entering WEP keys, you can enter a Passphrase in the Passphrase field. This Passphrase is used to generate one or more WEP keys. It is case-sensitive and should not be longer than 16 alphanumeric characters. (This Passphrase function is compatible with Linksys wireless
products only. If you want to communicate with non-Linksys wireless products, enter the WEP key manually on the non-Linksys wireless products.)
After you enter the Passphrase, click the Generate button to create WEP keys.

Note: All Wireless-G and 802.11b devices in your network must use the same Passphrase or WEP key.
5. WEP keys enable you to create an encryption scheme for wireless LAN transmissions. If you are not using a Passphrase, then manually enter a set of values in each Key field. (Do not leave a key field blank, and do not enter all zeroes. These are not valid key values.) If you are using 64-bit WEP encryption, then the key must be exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in length. If you are using 128-bit WEP encryption, then the key must be exactly 26 hexadecimal characters in length. Valid hexadecimal characters are “0”-“9” and “A”-“F”.
6. Check all the values, and click theApply button to save your WEP settings and return to the Setup screen. To cancel any changes you’ve entered on this page, click the Cancel button. To get more information about the features, click the Help button.

1. Now we will secure you wireless connection to prevent others from connecting. Under the Home tab, click the Wireless option from the left.
2. Beside the SSID option, enter the name for your wireless network connection.
3. Beside Security, select WPA. If you can’t connect using WPA, then select WEP. Using WPA will provide a much more secure connection that using WEP. For more information about WEP and WPA please read Wireless Security: WEP and WPA.
4. Click AES beside the Cypher Type.
5. Make sure PSK is selected beside PSK/EAP.
6. Now you must get very creative. Specify a long Passphrase with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation. Once again, please read Creating Secure Passwords for tips on how to do this. In this case the longer the better. Make sure you write down this key somewhere, either on a piece of paper or in a text document on your computer. You will need this information when you connect to your wireless network.
   
7. Enter your passphrase next to Passphrase and again beside Confirmed Passphrase.
8. Click Apply to save your security settings.
9. Now you are all done securing your wireless router and network. All you need to do is connect to your network, and enter your Passphrase exactly as you specified it. I won’t go into detail on how to connect to your wireless network, as I will save that for another post.