When configuring WiFi security, developers must understand that WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is fundamentally broken. Here's a technical comparison:

// Pseudo-code showing encryption strength
WEP_encryption = RC4_stream_cipher(64/128-bit_key)
WPA_encryption = TKIP/CCMP(AES_128-bit_key)

if (WEP_crackable_in_minutes) {
    throw new SecurityException("Do not use WEP");
}

The WPA protocol family addresses critical WEP vulnerabilities:

• Dynamic key generation (TKIP rotation)
• Message integrity checks (MIC)
• Stronger initialization vectors

Here's how to configure WPA2-PSK on a Linux router:

# /etc/config/wireless configuration snippet
config wifi-iface
    option device 'radio0'
    option mode 'ap'
    option ssid 'DevNetwork'
    option encryption 'psk2'  # WPA2
    option key 'StrongPassword123!'
    option hidden '0'

For development environments requiring higher security:

// RADIUS server configuration for WPA2-Enterprise
network={
    ssid="CorporateDev"
    key_mgmt=WPA-EAP
    eap=PEAP
    identity="devuser"
    password="secureCredential"
    phase2="auth=MSCHAPV2"
}

Python script to test your network's protocol security:

import wifi
from security_scanner import WirelessScanner

def check_protocol(ssid):
    scanner = WirelessScanner()
    target = scanner.find_network(ssid)
    if target.encryption == 'WEP':
        print(f"Security Alert: {ssid} uses vulnerable WEP")
    elif target.encryption in ('WPA', 'WPA2'):
        print(f"{ssid} uses acceptable encryption")
    return target.security_rating

network_rating = check_protocol("DevLab_WiFi")

When upgrading from WEP to WPA2:

1. Inventory all connected IoT/legacy devices
2. Schedule maintenance window for credential rotation
3. Test backward compatibility with WPA/WPA2 mixed mode

When implementing WiFi security in your applications or configuring network infrastructure, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) should always be your default choice over WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). The RC4 cipher used in WEP has been completely compromised since 2001, with attacks able to crack encryption in minutes using tools like Aircrack-ng:

# Basic WEP cracking command example
aircrack-ng -a 1 -b [MAC] -c [channel] capture.cap

Modern applications should implement WPA2 (AES-CCMP) or WPA3 as minimum standards. Here's a Python example using the wifi library to configure secure connections:

import wifi

def connect_to_secure_network():
    cell = wifi.Scheme.find('wlan0', 'MySecureNetwork')
    if cell.encryption_type == 'wpa2':
        scheme = wifi.Scheme.for_cell('wlan0', 'MySecureNetwork', cell,
                                     passkey='StrongPassword123!')
        scheme.activate()
    else:
        raise Exception("Insecure network protocol detected")

For corporate environments, implement 802.1X authentication with WPA2-Enterprise:

# Example RADIUS configuration for WPA2-Enterprise
network={
    ssid="CompanyNet"
    key_mgmt=WPA-EAP
    eap=PEAP
    identity="user@domain"
    password="secureCredential"
    phase2="auth=MSCHAPV2"
}

If maintaining legacy systems, gradually phase out WEP by implementing dual SSIDs during transition:

# Router configuration snippet for dual SSID
interface wifi0
   ssid LegacyNetwork
      security wep key 1 size 128bit ABCDEF12345
   ssid ModernNetwork
      security wpa2 psk SuperSecretPassphrase aes

Always verify your implementations with security scanners:

# Using scapy for WiFi security testing
from scapy.all import *
pkts = sniff(iface="wlan0mon", count=100)
wep_pkts = [pkt for pkt in pkts if pkt.haslayer(Dot11WEP)]
if wep_pkts:
    print("WARNING: Insecure WEP traffic detected")