NETGEAR MBRN3000-100NAS user manual Manually Configuring Your Wireless Settings, Wireless Security

Mobile Broadband Wireless-N Router MBRN3000

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

Figure 4 Wireless Security

•Restrict Access Based on MAC Address. You can allow only trusted PCs to connect so that unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the 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.

•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.

•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 This data encryption mode has been superseded by WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK.

•WPA-802.1x,WPA2-802.1x. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) with user authentication implemented using IEE 802.1x and RADIUS servers.

•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.

For more information about wireless technology, see the link to the online document in "Wireless Communications:" in Appendix B.

Manually Configuring Your Wireless Settings

Note: If you use a wireless computer to change the wireless network name (SSID) or wireless security, you will be disconnected when you click Apply. To avoid this problem, connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable while you are making changes.

Chapter 2: Wireless Network Configuration 15