Encrypting 802.11b?

The 802.11b specification is the means by which most wireless networks
function. They work in the 2.4- to 2.48-GHz band as both ad hoc and
extended service set networks. 802.11b, as opposed to 802.11, does not
use FHSS as a mode of transmitting data. Instead, it establishes DSSS
as the standard by which it transmits data because that is much better
in handling weak signals. DSSS allows data to be much more easily distinguished
from the interference in the background without the need to
be retransmitted again. Due to the strengths of DSSS over FHSS,
802.11b is able to reach general speeds as high as 11 Mbps at close
range with a slightly lower rate of speed of 5.5 Mbps at 25–50 feet away
from the transmission source indoors.
802.11b has evolved to the point where the majority of hardware can
support 64- to 128-bit encryption schemes, whereas 802.11 only supported
40- and 64-bit encryption.