NETGEAR DGN3500-100NAS user manual Wireless Security Options

RangeMax Wireless-N DSL Gigabit Modem Router DGN3500 User Manual

Wireless Security Options

Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11g wireless networks at a maximum range of up to

300 feet. Such distances can allow for others outside your immediate area to access your network.

Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can extend beyond your walls and can be received by anyone with a compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment. The modem router provides highly effective security features, which are covered in detail in this chapter. Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.

There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:

There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:

•Restrict access based on MAC address. You can allow only trusted PCs to connect so that unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the modem router. Restricting access by MAC address adds an obstacle against unwanted access to your network, but the data broadcast over the wireless link is fully exposed (see “Restricting access by MAC address” on page 2-8).

•Turn off the broadcast of the wireless network name SSID. If you disable broadcast of the SSID, only devices that have the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies wireless network discovery feature of some products, such as Windows XP, but the data is still exposed (see “Hiding your wireless network name (SSID)” on page 2-8).

•WEP. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption block all but the most determined eavesdropper. This data encryption mode has been superseded by WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK (see “Configuring WEP” on page 2-11).

•WPA-802.1x. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) with user authentication implemented using IEE 802.1x and RADIUS servers (see “Configuring WPA-802.1x” on page 2-12).

•WPA-PSK (TKIP) + WPA2-PSK (AES). Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) using a pre-shared key to perform authentication and generate the initial data encryption keys. The very strong authentication along with dynamic per frame re-keying of WPA makes it virtually impossible to compromise (see “Configuring Mixed WPA-PSK+WPA2-PSK Security” on page 2-10).

For more information about wireless technology, see the link to the online document in “Virtual Private Networking Basics” in Appendix B.

2-3 Configuring Your Wireless Network and Security Settings

v1.0, November 2009