Siemens GIGASET 54 - Manual (Page 9)

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The Gigaset PC Card 54
Gigaset PC Card 54 / englisch / A31008-E505-B101-3x-7619 / introduction.fm / 14.11.2008
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hablone 200
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Security in wireless networksEncryption
Any network, be it wired or wireless, is exposed to the risk of eavesdropping.
Connecting your local network to the public network exposes your data and applications
to not inconsiderable risks. As with an individual connection, you should always protect
your network PCs against external attacks, e. g. via emails, with a virus scanner.
These virus scanners however do not provide any protection against unauthorised
access from outside (hackers). To counter this risk, Gigaset data products offer various
encryption procedures that largely rule out unauthorised access (hacking) to your wire-
less network.
WEP encryption
WEP encryption (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encodes data for sending using a key that
you have defined. Once they reach the recipient, who uses the same key, the data are
restored to the state before you sent them. Recipients who do not know this key cannot
read the content of this data stream or only after a great deal of effort.
There are two security levels for calculating the encryption key:
u 64-bit mode
u 128-bit mode
WPA encryption
Wireless Protected Access (WPA) is a new standard-compliant solution for greater secu-
rity in wireless networks. WPA is meant to replace the existing WEP standard (Wired
Equivalent Privacy) and offers more reliable encryption and authentication methods.
With your Gigaset PC Card 54 you can use WPA encryption regardless of the operating
system used. WPA encryption is particularly recommended where the highest security
is required.
Range of wireless communication via a WLAN
The range is up to 300 m in the open. In buildings, the maximum range is up to 30 m.
The operating environment, the nature of the rooms and building may reduce the range
considerably. You can boost the range of your wireless network by placing a repeater,
e. g. a Gigaset WLAN Repeater, at the limit of its range.