what exactly is WPA passord protect?

I filled in a passphrase in the router setup. I'm wondering what it
protects? I don't need a password to get onto the Web, so what exactly
what is that passphrase accomplishing?

jack22 wrote:
> I filled in a passphrase in the router setup. I'm wondering what it
> protects. I don't need a password to get onto the Web, so what exactly
> is that passphrase accomplishing?

It's encrypting the links between your router and the computers
connected to it, thus keeping anyone who doesn't belong on the
connection off it. In addition the encryption is protecting the traffic
between your router and those computers, as well as between the
computers themselves, from being intercepted by a third party.

"Jonathan L. Parker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
in news:j48pkm$ap5$(E-Mail Removed):

> jack22 wrote:
>> I filled in a passphrase in the router setup. I'm wondering what
>> it protects. I don't need a password to get onto the Web, so
>> what exactly is that passphrase accomplishing?
>
> It's encrypting the links between your router and the computers
> connected to it, thus keeping anyone who doesn't belong on the
> connection off it. In addition the encryption is protecting the
> traffic between your router and those computers, as well as
> between the computers themselves, from being intercepted by a
> third party.
>

Now why couldn't all those pages I tried reading from my Google search
say it that simply?

Thank you.