IEEE 802.11 Standard, which means :"...802.11 embeds the WEP mechanism within the MAC that covers
station-to-station transmission. The standard specifies usage of the RC4
security algorithm from RSA. The scheme relies on a 40-bit key to encrypt
the payload of data frames. The working group chose the RC4 algorithm in
part because the US Government does not restrict the export of products
using the RC4 encryption method. In contrast, other algorithms such as DES
can only be exported in a few specific applications. Moreover, tests by
members of 802.11 prove RC4 to offer security that matches or exceeds the
privacy achievable by standard wired Ethernet." Big thanks to
Lawrence Lee for the heads up. When in doubt, RTFM. Doh!