WEP Wired equivalent privacy. The original security standard used in wireless networks to encrypt the wireless network traffic. See WPA, Wireless local area network.
Wi-FiA term developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Wi-Fi Certified The certification standard designating IEEE 802.11-based wireless local area network (WLAN) products that have passed interoperability testing requirements developed and governed by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
wireless network Devices connected to a network using a centralized wireless access point. See WLAN.
WLAN A data communications network that spans large local, regional, national, or international areas and is usually provided by a public carrier (such as a telephone company or service provider).The term is used to distinguish between phone-based data networks and Wi-Fi networks. Phone networks are considered wide area networks (WANs) and Wi-Fi networks are considered wireless local area networks (WLANs).
See LAN.
WPA - Enterprise Wi-Fi Protected Access-Enterprise. A wireless security method that provides strong data protection for multiple users and large managed networks. It uses the 802.1X authentication framework with TKIP encryption and prevents unauthorized network access by verifying network users through an authentication server. See 802.1X.
WPA - Personal Wi-Fi Protected Access-Personal. A wireless security method that provides strong data protection and prevents unauthorized network access for small networks. It uses TKIP encryption and protects against unauthorized network access.
WPA2 Wi-Fi Protected Access 2. The follow-on security method to WPA for wireless networks that provides stronger data protection and network access control. It provides enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi users with a high level of assurance that only authorized users can access their wireless networks. Based on the ratified IEEE 802.11i standard, WPA2 provides government grade security by implementing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS 140-2 compliant AES encryption algorithm and 802.1X-based authentication. There are two versions of WPA2: WPA2- Personal and WPA2-Enterprise. WPA2-Personal protects unauthorized network access by utilizing a set-up password. WPA2-Enterprise verifies network users through a server. WPA2 is backward compatible with WPA. Like WPA, WPA2 uses the 802.1X/EAP framework as part of the infrastructure that ensures centralized mutual authentication and dynamic key management and offers a pre-shared key for use in home and small office environments. Like WPA, WPA2 is designed to secure all versions of 802.11 devices, including 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g, multiband and multimode. See WPA2- Enterprise, WPA2-Personal.
