WPA – WPA provides a scheme of mutual authentication using either IEEE

 

802.1x/Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) authentication or pre-shared

 

key (PSK) technology. It provides a high level of assurance to enterprises,

 

small businesses and home users that data will remain protected and that

 

only authorized users may access their networks. For enterprises that have

 

already deployed IEEE 802.1x authentication, WPA offers the advantage of

 

leveraging existing authentication databases and infrastructure.

 

WPA-PSK– It is a special mode designed for home and small business users

 

who do not have access to network authentication servers. In this mode,

 

known as Pre-Shared Key, the user manually enters the starting password in

 

their access point or gateway, as well as in each wireless station in the

 

network. WPA-PSK takes over automatically from that point, keeping

 

unauthorized users that don't have the matching password from joining the

 

network, while encrypting the data traveling between authorized devices.

 

WPA2 – Like WPA, WPA2 supports IEEE 802.1 x/EAP authentications or

 

PSK technology. It also includes a new advanced encryption mechanism

 

using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES is required to the

 

corporate user or government users. The difference between WPA and WPA2

 

is that WPA2 provides data encryption via the AES. In contrast, WPA uses

 

Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP).

 

WPA2-PSK – WPA2-PSK is also for home and small business. The difference

 

between WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK is that WPA2-PSK provides data

 

encryption via the AES. In contrast, WPA-PSK uses Temporal Key Integrity

 

Protocol (TKIP).

802.1x Setting

When you have set the Authentication Type to Open, Shared, WPA or WPA2,

 

you can also enable IEEE 802.1x setting to use the authentication server or

 

certification server to authenticate client users.

Encryption Mode

None – Disable the encryption mode.

 

WEP – Enable the WEP Data Encryption. When the item is selected, you

 

have to continue setting the WEP Encryption keys.

 

TKIP – TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) changes the temporal key

 

every 10,000 packets (a packet is a kind of message transmitted over a

 

network.) This insures much greater security than the standard WEP security.

 

AES – AES has been developed to ensure the highest degree of security and

 

authenticity for digital information and it is the most advanced solution defined

 

by IEEE 802.11i for the security in the wireless network.

 

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