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ideally you should use the strongest key possible (on home systems, that's going to typically be 128-bit, but 256-bit is available with select hardware). 64-bit encryption (with a 40-bit encryption key and a 24-bit initialization vector) and 128-bit encryption (with a 104-bit key and a 24-bit initialization vector) are standard on most units (if they have the latest firmware), although you may see them identified only by key size, rather than key-size plus initialization vector bit size (e.g., as 40-bit and 104-bit). While it is true that you will get slightly higher performance with a 64-bit key (less encrypting means faster throughput), 128-bit encryption still delivers excellent throughout, and is harder (more time consuming) to crack. Use 128-bit (or higher).