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G Wireless Modem Router
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MANUALLY CONFIGURING YOUR ROUTER
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
WPA is a new Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve upon the
security features of WEP. To use WPA security, the drivers and software
of your wireless equipment must be upgraded to support WPA. These
updates will be found on the wireless vendors’ websites. There are two
types of WPA security: WPA-PSK (no server) and WPA (with 802.1x
radius server).
WPA-PSK (no server)
This method uses what is known as a “pre-shared key” as the
network key. A network key is basically a password that is between
eight and 63 characters long. It can be a combination of letters,
numbers, or characters. Each client uses the same network key to
access the network. Typically, this is the mode that will be used in a
home environment.
WPA (with 802.1x radius server)
With this system, a radius server distributes the network key to the
clients automatically. This is typically found in a business environment.
WPA2
The Router features WPA2, which is the second generation of the
WPA-based 802.11i standard. It offers a higher level of wireless security
by combining advanced network authentication and stronger AES
encryption methods.
WPA2 Requirements
IMPORTANT: In order to use WPA2 security, all your computers and
wireless client adapters must be upgraded with patches, drivers,
and client utility software that support WPA2. At the time of this
User Manual’s publication, a couple security patches are available,
for free download, from Microsoft
®
. These patches work only with
the Windows XP operating system. Other operating systems are not
supported at this time.
