My wep key is 10 characters, why do only 8 show on properties?

Confused_40

Honorable
Jan 26, 2013
1
0
10,510
I have a wireless network with many devices on it. I am trying to add a BB Playbook that continually times out. I have never changed my WEP key and it's 10 characters but when I go on to the properties of the network on my PC it only shows 8 charaters. Is that a security feature? Other devices have joined the network with the established key so why not this one?

I took it back to the store and they got it to join their wireless network and even one guys smart phone so it's not the device????

Thanks
 
Hello and welcome to Tom's Hardware Forums.

Have a look in the router's settings to check the security key. The eight asterisks you see are only masking the actually key so it could be any length. Everything you need to know about how to get into the settings pages is in our Sticky Post on the subject and here is a link to it. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/38111-18-find-change-wireless-security
 

j0ndafr3ak

Distinguished
Feb 11, 2012
409
1
18,815
Your PC will show 8 characters whether you set four-character long password or a 20-character long one. Should you ever try to crack a password using the brute force method :D one detail you're required to know is the password length. :D so, they hide it, of course
As for the device, try to change the type of encryption (like WEP to WPA (or WPA2).. see if that sorts things out. I don't know if this can help, but I had the same problem with my PSP once, and solved it that way. It was the type of encryption key.