Belkin F5D8055 User Manual - Page 30

USING THE BELKIN WIRELESS NETWORKING UTILITY Table of Contents section 1 2 3 4 5 6 At the time of publication, four encryption methods are available: Encryption Methods: Name 64-bit Wired Equivalent Privacy Acronym 64-bit WEP Security Good Features Static keys Encryption keys based on RC4 algorithm (typically 40-bit keys) 128-bit Encryption Wi-Fi Protected Access Wi-Fi Protected Access 128-bit WEP WPA-TKIP/AES WPA2-AES (or just WPA) (or just WPA2) Better Best Best Static keys Dynamic key Dynamic key encryption encryption and mutual and mutual authentication authentication Added security over 64-bit WEP using a key length of 104 bits, plus 24 additional bits of systemgenerated data TKIP (temporal key integrity protocol) added so that keys are rotated and encryption is strengthened AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) does not cause any throughput loss WEP WEP is a common protocol that adds security to all Wi-Fi-compliant wireless products. WEP gives wireless networks the equivalent level of privacy protection as a comparable wired network. 64-Bit WEP 64-bit WEP was first introduced with 64-bit encryption, which includes a key length of 40 bits plus 24 additional bits of system-generated data (64 bits total). Some hardware manufacturers refer to 64-bit as 40-bit encryption. Shortly after the technology was introduced, researchers found that 64-bit encryption was too easy to decode. 128-Bit Encryption As a result of 64-bit WEP's potential security weaknesses, a more secure method of 128-bit encryption was developed. 128-bit encryption includes a key length of 104 bits plus 24 additional bits of systemgenerated data (128 bits total). Some hardware manufacturers refer to 128-bit as 104-bit encryption. Most of the new wireless equipment in the market today supports both 64-bit WEP and 128-bit WEP encryption, but you might have older equipment that only supports 64-bit WEP. All Belkin wireless products will support both 64-bit WEP and 128-bit encryption. N+ Wireless USB Adapter 28