Setting up your wireless network adapter
13
Note
: When you select a network using encryption, you will first see the simple security
screen. Click the
Advanced
button to see other security options (below).
Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
is a less secure, but more widely adopted wireless
security protocol. Depending on the security level (64- or 128-bit), the user will be asked to
input a 10- or 26-character hex key. A hex key is a combination of letters, a–f, and numbers,
0–9.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
is the new standard in the wireless security. However, not
all wireless cards and adapters support this technology. Please check your wireless adapter’s
user guide to check if it supports WPA. Instead of a hex key, WPA uses only passphrases,
which are much easier to remember.
The following section, intended for the home, home office, and small office user, presents a
few different ways to maximize the security of your wireless network.
Currently, there are four encryption methods available:
64-Bit Wired
Equivalent
Privacy
128-Bit Wired
Equivalent
Privacy
Wi-Fi Protected
Access-TKIP
Wi-Fi Protected
Access 2
Acronym
64-bit WEP
128-bit WEP
WPA-TKIP/AES (or just
WPA)
WPA2-AES (or just
WPA2)
Security
Good
Better
Best
Best
Features
Static keys
Static keys
Dynamic key
encryption and
mutual
authentication
Dynamic key
encryption and
mutual
authentication
