WPA Security "Wi-Fi"

I have been reading about WPA Wireless Security and want to know how I can
find out if my router is compatible and all other wireless devices on my home
network. If anyone has this type of security enabled on their system, please
give me some advice or point me to where I can get data. Thanks.

Brian S wrote:

> I have been reading about WPA Wireless Security and want to know how I
> can find out if my router is compatible and all other wireless devices
> on my home
> network. If anyone has this type of security enabled on their system,
> please
> give me some advice or point me to where I can get data. Thanks.

You would go to the mftrs.' websites for your specific hardware and look
at the specifications for the devices. Newer devices usually do support
WPA, but this is a hardware-specific ability and all devices on the
network would have to be WPA-able and set that way. If you have one
device on the network that isn't, you would have to either replace it
or just use WEP.

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

You would have to check with the manufacturer of each device, ie. router/access point and client
devices... WPA must be supported by the device drivers/firmware and the OS...For example XP supports
WPA as does my Buffalo WBR-G54 wireless access point/router and my iPAQ 5555 PocketPC...

--
Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights...

"Brian S" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3ACB4451-D64E-42DF-88EC-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have been reading about WPA Wireless Security and want to know how I can
> find out if my router is compatible and all other wireless devices on my home
> network. If anyone has this type of security enabled on their system, please
> give me some advice or point me to where I can get data. Thanks.

In the configuration page of my router is a security page and it allows
me to turn on/off security.

If I turn it on it then gives me an option of WEP or WPA-PSK.

So I suggest look in you router configuration screen to see if WPA is an
option.

When I was researching this topic I went to network suppliers home pages
and read their FAQs and other technical info they had.


Here is some info, it may or may-not be useful to you.

Wireless Security
* Level 0 (The default): No security I.e. the data will not be
encrypted, no authentication process will be used.


* Level 1: Backwards compatible security with any Wi-Fi certified client
(WEP), I.e. encrypting the traffic between the SpeedTouchâ„¢ and the
clients by sharing a predefined 64-bit or a 128-bit Network key.

WEP relies on a secret key that is shared between the wireless client
(e.g. a laptop with a wireless client. The fixed secret key is used to
encrypt
data before they are transmitted. I.e. during transmission between
client and access point (“in the air�) the information in the
packets is encrypted.


* Level 2: WPA-PSK is the highest form of security available but make
sure that your wireless client and client manager are compatible with
it.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), provides important data encryption
enhancements to WEP, to further increase security.



The WPA standard specifies two modes of operation:
1) WPA Personal also know as WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key), for residential
use.

2) WPA Enterprise for business use. In this mode, authentication is done
by a dedicated authentication server, which is normally not available
for residential use.

WPA Personal features 3 basic improvements over WEP (security level 1).
1) Mutual authentication of access point and client via a 4-way
handshake. In this handshake, both client and access point check whether
they share the same Pre-Shared Key (without sending the PSK “in the
clear�).

2) Stronger encryption, using the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
(TKIP). In stead of using a fixed WEP key, TKIP uses in pairs temporary
session keys which are derived from the PSK during the 4-way handshake.

3) Message Integrity Check (MIC), a strong mathematical function in
which the recipient and transmitter each compute and compare the MIC.
Non-matching MICs reveal that a third party has been tampering the data
to try and hack the system.



WEP
Basic wireless security provided by Wi-Fi. In some instances, WEP may be
all a home or small-business user needs to protect wireless data. WEP is
available in 40-bit (also called 64-bit), or in 108-bit (also called
128-bit) encryption modes. As 108-bit encryption provides a longer
algorithm that takes longer to decode, it can provide better security
than basic 40-bit (64-bit) encryption.

WPA-Enterprise
Stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access™ – Enterprise. It is Wi-Fi’s
encryption method that protects unauthorized network access by verifying
network users through a server.


WPA-PSK (same as WPA-Personal)

WPA-Personal (also known as WPA-PSK)
Stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access™ – Personal. It is Wi-Fi’s
encryption method that protects unauthorized network access by utilizing
a set-up password.


WPA2
Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2. The follow on security method to WPA
for Wi-Fi networks that provides stronger data protection and network
access control.


WPA2-Enterprise
Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 – Enterprise. The follow on Wi-Fi
security method to WPA that provides stronger data protection and
prevents unauthorized network access by verifying network users through
a server.


WPA2-Personal
Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 – Personal. The follow on Wi-Fi
security method to WPA that provides stronger data protection and
prevents unauthorized network access by utilizing a pass phrase.



Brian S <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>I have been reading about WPA Wireless Security and want to know how I can
>find out if my router is compatible and all other wireless devices on my home
>network. If anyone has this type of security enabled on their system, please
>give me some advice or point me to where I can get data. Thanks.

Hey, thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.

"nospam" wrote:

> In the configuration page of my router is a security page and it allows
> me to turn on/off security.
>
> If I turn it on it then gives me an option of WEP or WPA-PSK.
>
> So I suggest look in you router configuration screen to see if WPA is an
> option.
>
> When I was researching this topic I went to network suppliers home pages
> and read their FAQs and other technical info they had.
>
>
> Here is some info, it may or may-not be useful to you.
>
> Wireless Security
> * Level 0 (The default): No security I.e. the data will not be
> encrypted, no authentication process will be used.
>
>
> * Level 1: Backwards compatible security with any Wi-Fi certified client
> (WEP), I.e. encrypting the traffic between the SpeedTouchâ„¢ and the
> clients by sharing a predefined 64-bit or a 128-bit Network key.
>
> WEP relies on a secret key that is shared between the wireless client
> (e.g. a laptop with a wireless client. The fixed secret key is used to
> encrypt
> data before they are transmitted. I.e. during transmission between
> client and access point (“in the air�) the information in the
> packets is encrypted.
>
>
> * Level 2: WPA-PSK is the highest form of security available but make
> sure that your wireless client and client manager are compatible with
> it.
> Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), provides important data encryption
> enhancements to WEP, to further increase security.
>
>
>
> The WPA standard specifies two modes of operation:
> 1) WPA Personal also know as WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key), for residential
> use.
>
> 2) WPA Enterprise for business use. In this mode, authentication is done
> by a dedicated authentication server, which is normally not available
> for residential use.
>
> WPA Personal features 3 basic improvements over WEP (security level 1).
> 1) Mutual authentication of access point and client via a 4-way
> handshake. In this handshake, both client and access point check whether
> they share the same Pre-Shared Key (without sending the PSK “in the
> clear�).
>
> 2) Stronger encryption, using the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
> (TKIP). In stead of using a fixed WEP key, TKIP uses in pairs temporary
> session keys which are derived from the PSK during the 4-way handshake.
>
> 3) Message Integrity Check (MIC), a strong mathematical function in
> which the recipient and transmitter each compute and compare the MIC.
> Non-matching MICs reveal that a third party has been tampering the data
> to try and hack the system.
>
>
>
> WEP
> Basic wireless security provided by Wi-Fi. In some instances, WEP may be
> all a home or small-business user needs to protect wireless data. WEP is
> available in 40-bit (also called 64-bit), or in 108-bit (also called
> 128-bit) encryption modes. As 108-bit encryption provides a longer
> algorithm that takes longer to decode, it can provide better security
> than basic 40-bit (64-bit) encryption.
>
> WPA-Enterprise
> Stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access™ – Enterprise. It is Wi-Fi’s
> encryption method that protects unauthorized network access by verifying
> network users through a server.
>
>
> WPA-PSK (same as WPA-Personal)
>
> WPA-Personal (also known as WPA-PSK)
> Stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access™ – Personal. It is Wi-Fi’s
> encryption method that protects unauthorized network access by utilizing
> a set-up password.
>
>
> WPA2
> Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2. The follow on security method to WPA
> for Wi-Fi networks that provides stronger data protection and network
> access control.
>
>
> WPA2-Enterprise
> Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 – Enterprise. The follow on Wi-Fi
> security method to WPA that provides stronger data protection and
> prevents unauthorized network access by verifying network users through
> a server.
>
>
> WPA2-Personal
> Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 – Personal. The follow on Wi-Fi
> security method to WPA that provides stronger data protection and
> prevents unauthorized network access by utilizing a pass phrase.
>
>
>
> Brian S <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
> >I have been reading about WPA Wireless Security and want to know how I can
> >find out if my router is compatible and all other wireless devices on my home
> >network. If anyone has this type of security enabled on their system, please
> >give me some advice or point me to where I can get data. Thanks.
>
>