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Using the belkin wireless networking utility, Wired equivalent privacy (wep), Wireless protected access (wpa) – Belkin F5D8053 User Manual

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Using the Belkin Wireless Networking Utility

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Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

is a less secure, but more

widely adopted wireless security protocol. Depending on the security
level (64- or 128-bit), the user will be asked to input a 10- or
26-character hex key. A hex key is a combination of letters, a–f,
and numbers, 0–9.

Wireless Protected Access (WPA)

is the new standard in

the wireless security. However, not all wireless cards and adapters
support this technology. Please check your wireless adapter’s user
manual to check if it supports WPA. Instead of a hex key, WPA uses
only passphrases, which are much easier to remember.

The following section, intended for the home, home-office, and
small-office user, presents a few different ways to maximize the
security of your wireless network.

At the time of publication, four encryption methods are available:

Encryption Methods:

Name

64-bit Wired
Equivalent Privacy

128-bit
Encryption

Wi-Fi
Protected
Access

Wi-Fi
Protected
Access

Acronym

64-bit WEP

128-bit WEP

WPA-TKIP

WPA-AES

Security

Good

Better

Best

Best

Features

Static keys

Static keys

Dynamic key
encryption
and mutual
authentication

Dynamic key
encryption
and mutual
authentication

Encryption keys
based on RC4
algorithm (typically
40-bit keys)

Added security
over 64-bit
WEP using a
key length of
104 bits, plus
24 additional
bits of system-
generated data

TKIP (temporal
key integrity
protocol)
added so
that keys are
rotated and
encryption is
strengthened

AES
(Advanced
Encryption
Standard)
does not
cause any
throughput
loss

WEP

WEP is a common protocol that adds security to all Wi-Fi-compliant
wireless products. WEP gives wireless networks the equivalent level
of privacy protection as a comparable wired network.