Introduction
The D-Link AirPlus Xtreme GTM DWL-G520 Wireless PCI Adapter is an 802.11g high- performance, wireless adapter that supports high-speed wireless networking at home, at work or in public places.
Unlike most network cards, the DWL-G520 provides data transfers at up to 54 Mbps. The 802.11g standard is backwards compatible with 802.11b products.
The DWL-G520 has the newest, strongest, and most advanced security features available today. When used with other 802.11 WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and 802.1x compatible products in a network with a RADIUS server, the security features include:
WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access which authorizes and identifies users based on a secret key that changes automatically at regular intervals. WPA uses TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) to change the temporal key every 10,000 packets (a packet is a kind of message transmitted over a network.) This ensures much greater security than the standard WEP security. (By contrast, the older WEP encryption required the keys to be changed manually.)
802.1x: Authentication which is a first line of defense against intrusion. In the authentication process, the Authentication Server* verifies the identity of the client attempting to connect to the network. Unfamiliar clients would be denied access.
For home users that will not incorporate a RADIUS server in their network, the security for the DWL-G520, used in conjunction with other WPA-compatible 802.11 products, will still be much stronger than ever before. Utilizing the Pre Shared Key mode of WPA, the DWL-G520 will obtain a new security key every time it connects to the 802.11 network. You only need to input your encryption information once in the configuration menu. No longer will you have to manually input a new WEP key frequently to ensure security. With the DWL-G520, you will automatically receive a new key every time you connect, vastly increasing the safety of your communication.