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Appendix A. Wireless security Overview
A1.
WEP, WPA and WPA2 comparison
WEP, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK are standard wireless security options. When using any
one of them, each device in the wireless network
MUST use the SAME wireless security
option and network security key
(also called password, passphrase or pre-shared key).
Otherwise, the wireless network will not function properly.
Name
WEP
(Wired Equivalent Privacy)
WPA - PSK
(Wi-Fi Protected Access
— Pre-Shared Key)
WPA2 - PSK
(Wi-Fi Protected Access 2
— Pre-Shared Key)
Also
called
----
WPA - Personal
or
WPA
WPA2 - Personal
or
WPA2
Security
Level
basic
strong
strongest
Password
Format
10- or 26- character hex key
(A hex key is a combination of
letters, a – f, and numbers, 0 – 9.)
8- to 63- character passphrase
(A passphrase is a combination of
alphabet letters and numbers.)
A2.
WEP / WPA / WPA2 802.1X
802.1X is for advanced users who are familiar with using a RADIUS server and setting up
digital certificates. Each user needs to provide his or her own username, password and
digital certificate in order to access the wireless network.
Name
WEP 802.1X
WPA 802.1X
WPA2 802.1X
Also called
Dynamic WEP
WPA - Enterprise
WPA2 - Enterprise
Security Level
basic
strong
strongest
Note:
WEP is a deprecated wireless security algorithm. There are readily available
programs to crack the WEP encryption within minutes.
Nonetheless, WEP is widely used
and is often the default wireless security option in older wireless devices.
