Netgear DGND3800B DGND3800B User Manual (PDF) - Page 32

N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit VDSL2 Modem Router DGND3800B Wireless Security Options A security option is the type of security protocol applied to your wireless network. The security protocol in force encrypts data transmissions and ensures that only trusted devices receive authorization to connect to your network. There are two types of encryption: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WPA has several options including pre-shared key (PSK) encryption. This section presents an overview of the security options and provides guidance on when to use which option. WEP Encryption WEP uses an old encryption method and can be easily decoded with today's powerful computers. Use this mode only when you have a very old legacy wireless client that does not support WPA-PSK. The Wi-Fi alliance highly recommends against using WEP and plans to make it obsolete. If you do decide to use WEP, see To set up WEP: on page 37 for the procedure. WPA Encryption WPA encryption is built into all hardware that has the Wi-Fi-certified seal. This seal means the product is authorized by the Wi-Fi Alliance (http://www.wi-fi.org/) because it complies with the worldwide single standard for high-speed wireless local area networking. For information about how to use the WPA home options, see To set up WPA2 or WPA security: on page 37. WPA-PSK uses a much stronger encryption algorithm than WEP so it is harder to decode. This option uses a passphrase to perform the authentication and generate the initial data encryption keys. Then it dynamically varies the encryption key. WPA-PSK uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) data encryption, implements most of the IEEE 802.11i standard, and is designed to work with all wireless network interface cards, but not all wireless access points. It is superseded by WPA2-PSK. WPA2-PSK is the strongest. It is advertised to be theoretically indecipherable due to the greater degree of randomness in encryption keys that it generates. WPA2-PSK gets higher speed because it is usually implemented through hardware, while WPA-PSK is usually implemented through software. WPA2-PSK uses a passphrase to authenticate and generate the initial data encryption keys. Then it dynamically varies the encryption key. WPS-PSK + WPA2-PSK mixed mode is the preconfigured security mode on the modem router. NETGEAR recommends mixed mode because it provides broader support for all wireless clients. WPA2-PSK clients get higher speed and security, and WPA-PSK clients get decent speed and security. The product documentation for your wireless adapter and WPA client software should have instructions about configuring their WPA settings. WPA-802.1x is enterprise-level security and requires an authentication server to recognize and authorize client access. The authentication server is called Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS). Every wireless client has a user login on the RADIUS server, and the modem router has a client login on the RADIUS server. Data transmissions are encrypted Wireless Settings 32