Netgear WGR614v10 Reference Manual - Page 27

Wireless-G Router WGR614v10 Reference Manual Stronger security methods can entail a cost in terms of throughput, latency, battery consumption, and equipment compatibility. In choosing an appropriate security level, you can also consider the effort compared to the reward for a hacker to break into your network. As a minimum, however, NETGEAR recommends using WEP with Shared Key authentication. Do not run an unsecured wireless network unless it is your intention to provide free Internet access for the public. WEP connections can take slightly longer to establish. Also, WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-PSK encryption can consume more battery power on a notebook computer, and can cause significant performance degradation with a slow computer. Note: NETGEAR recommends that you change the administration password of your router. Default passwords are well known, and an intruder can use your administrator access to read or disable your security settings. For information about how to change the administrator password, see "Changing the Administrator Password" on page 2-15. Wireless data security options Range: up to 300 foot radius 1) Open system: easy but no security 2) MAC access list: no data security WGR614v10 3) WEP: security but some performance impact 4) WPA-PSK: strong security 5) WPA2-PSK: very strong security Note: Use these with other features that enhance security (Table 2-2 on page 2-4). Figure 2-1 The Wireless-G Router provides two screens for configuring the wireless settings: the basic Wireless Settings screen, which you access under Setup in the main menu (see "Changing Wireless Security Settings" on page 2-6), and the Advanced Wireless Settings screen, which you access under Advanced (see "Changing Wireless Security Settings" on page 2-6). Basic security options are listed in order of increasing effectiveness in Table 2-1 below. Other Safeguarding Your Network 2-2 v1.0, February 2010