Screenshot of the main window for the WEP Key Generator
This is the online help page to explain various elements of the WEP Key Generator in more detail. Using the image below, each of the data elements will be examined.
Screenshot of the main window for the WEP Key Generator
The main window provides a convenient method of showing all of the parameters for the wireless router or access point. There is no need to navigate further into the program if all you desire is access to the information regarding the router.
Each of the fields on the screen below the scrolling list box are read-only fields. This means you can click into them, you can even type into the fields, but the changes will not be saved at all. In order to change any of the information you must click on the 'Edit' button in order to access the data entry form for the highlighted record. The primary reason I have used entry fields on this screen rather than string display fields is because it make it very easy to copy and paste information from the program to the HTML pages in the router or access point configuration interface.
Section 1. The Browse
The scrolling list box consists of a group of tabs across the top of the list
box and alternating colored entries which resemble the old 'green bar' report
paper used in data centers. This alternate shading of each record makes it
easy to follow across the line of information.
The browse tabs provide the facility to sort the records displayed in the browse by the data element described on each of the tabs. For example, clicking on the 'by Expiration' will re-sort the display to coincide with an ascending sort of the expiration date, while 'by IP' sorts the records in IP address order. The highlighted record will continue to be highlighted as the records are re-sorted, unless for some reason the sort order key activated by the tab chosen by the user does not contain any data.
Clicking on the "by Domain" tab sorts by domain name and provides an entry field at the top of the list box to enter a domain name to act as a locator. Enter the domain name and press tab to go immediately to all the records for that domain.
Double-clicking on a record in the browse, will highlight and open the record for editing. Clicking on the "Edit" button allows you to edit an existing record. Clicking on "Delete" will remove the highlighted record from the database after you are prompted for a confirmation. Adding a record is easy. Just click on the "Add" button to initialize a new record.
Control-PgDn will take you to the end of the list and Control-PgUp will bring you to the top.
One special feature of the browse is the use of colors in the Expires column. If the WEP key record displayed is within a specific number of days prior to being expired, the date is colored with red digits on a white or 'green bar' background. If, however, the WEP key has already expired, the date is displayed with a red background with white digits to alert the user there are WEP keys that need immediate attention. This column coloring is controlled by the value contained in the "Alert Days" field in the Options settings.
Section 2. - Hot fields
The information displayed below the browse are what ii known as "Hot fields".
These fields are refreshed each time a new record is highlighted in the
scrolling browse at the top of the screen.
While most programs would simply display this information as static string elements on the window, these fields use entry fields with the 'read only' attribute set on. The primary reason for doing it this way is to provide the user with a way to copy and paste information from the screen back to the router configuration HTML interface.
The names of the fields and the contents are all pretty much self-explanatory with the exception of perhaps the Communications Lead Days field and the Expiration Period field.
Communications Lead Days
This is the number of days allowed by the administrator to act as a
communications window of time for each of the wireless clients (especially those
running the WEP Key Generator Client) to be updated with the WEP keys that will
be going into practice next. The default is 3 days.
As an example, if the Communications Lead Days was set to 3 and you didn't modify any other date field, then the effective date for the wireless network client to obtain the new WEP key (either by direct transfer, or Fax report) would be 3 days from today.
When you post an updated record with newly generated WEP keys, the Communications Lead Days value will control how soon before the WEP key expires, the client software will make the new WEP key available either by direct transfer or posting to a user defined email address or even a web site.
If you can't set up special email addresses for some reason or you do not have a web site to assist in the secure transfer of the new WEP key data, for a small monthly charge, we can provide you with a special secure web account to post your WEP keys.
Expiration Period
The Expiration Period defines how long the active WEP key will be active from
the Effective Date. The default is 14 days. If you make the
Expiration Period longer, you increase the risk that your wireless network will
be compromised as it leaves a much larger 'window' of opportunity for someone to
crack your Wi-Fi network.
The Options screen, which can be accessed via the File menu, provides functionality for changing the default values for the Communications Lead Days and Expiration Period settings. The record values for these fields are derived and used in formulae and will primarily be used by the WEP Key Generator Client module to help in the automation of updating WEP keys on wirelessly connected desktops, laptops and PDAs.
Data Entry Screens
The fields required by the program for a valid router record entry are those as shown with a yellow background. These fields MUST be filled in to save the record to the database. The required fields are Mfg., Domain, LAN IP Address, LAN IP Sub-mask and the SSID of the wireless access point.
Connecting to the Router
Connecting to the router makes it easy to transfer information from one screen to the router or from the router to the data entry screen via copy and paste. It is recommended that you use copy and paste rather than manually type the information into the data entry form, as you are less prone to make an error using the copy and paste methods.
In order to connect to the router, you must fill in the LAN IP Address for the particular router you wish to log into. Most routers that use NAT use either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. There may be particular circumstances where you will not use the default IP address, for example, if you have more than one wireless access point in your network or if you connect more computers to your network than are supported by the Class C IP address provided by 192.168.x.x ranges. (see www.icann.org for more information)
The Domain Name is a field that seems to be a bit confusing to people when setting up their routers. The Domain Name is simply a name for the LAN and it is used by the software solely for sorting purposes in the event you have more than one device associated with a particular network domain. This would be normally only useful for those using the Professional version of the WEP Key Generator who need to sort the data by domain name.
