WEP vs. WPA

[Shane Hathaway]

Andrew Jorgensen wrote:
>> >> WEP is weak, WPA is strong.
>> >
>> > Any difference on performance?
> 
> 
> Wow, there are a lot of over-simplifications going on here.  I'm no
> expert but my understanding is that WPA provides authentication and
> re-keying over WEP.  There should be no significant performance
> difference at all because the encryption underneath is just WEP.  The
> difference in security is in how keying material is generated and that
> the system re-keys the connection every so often so that there is
> never enough material to crack it.
> 
> I could be wrong, that's just what I understood it to be.

My understanding is the same.

There's one thing I'm curious about.  I wonder whether a card that 
implements WEP in hardware, but not WPA, can be taught WPA through 
software.  If so, when I'm comparing wireless cards, I can ignore WPA 
support and go for the cheaper alternative.

Shane