TL-WA601G
108M Wireless Access Point User Guide
WEP
(
W
ired
E
quivalent
P
rivacy)
-
A data privacy mechanism based on a 64-bit or 128-bit or
152-bit shared key algorithm, as described in the IEEE 802.11 standard.
Wi-Fi -
A trade name for the 802.11b wireless networking standard, given by the Wireless
Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA, see http://www.wi-fi.net), an industry standards group
promoting interoperability among 802.11b devices.
WLAN
(
W
ireless
L
ocal
A
rea
N
etwork)
-
A group of computers and associated devices
communicate with each other wirelessly, which network serving users are limited in a local area.
WPA (Wi-Fi P
rotected
A
ccess
) -
WPA is a security technology for wireless networks that improves
on the authentication and encryption features of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). In fact, WPA
was developed by the networking industry in response to the shortcomings of WEP. One of the
key technologies behind WPA is the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP addresses the
encryption weaknesses of WEP. Another key component of WPA is built-in authentication that
WEP does not offer. With this feature, WPA provides roughly comparable security to VPN
tunneling with WEP, with the benefit of easier administration and use. This is similar to 802.1x
support and requires a RADIUS server in order to implement. The Wi-Fi Alliance will call this,
WPA-Enterprise. One variation of WPA is called WPA Pre Shared Key or WPA-PSK for short - this
provides an authentication alternative to an expensive RADIUS server. WPA-PSK is a simplified
but still powerful form of WPA most suitable for home Wi-Fi networking. To use WPA-PSK, a
person sets a static key or "passphrase" as with WEP. But, using TKIP, WPA-PSK automatically
changes the keys at a preset time interval, making it much more difficult for hackers to find and
exploit them. The Wi-Fi Alliance will call this, WPA-Personal.
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