specific SSID; an SSID of “ANY” will no longer be accepted. Refer to
the documentation of your wireless network adapter for information
on making this change.
Protected Mode Switch
As part of the 802.11g specification, Protected mode ensures proper
operation of 802.11g clients and access points when there is heavy
802.11b traffic in the operating environment. When Protected mode
is ON, 802.11g scans for other wireless network traffic before it
transmits data. Therefore, using this mode in environments with
HEAVY 802.11b traffic or interference achieves best performance
results. If you are in an environment with very little—or no—other
wireless network traffic, your best performance will be achieved with
Protected mode OFF.
Securing your Wi-Fi
®
Network
Here are a few different ways you can maximize the security of your
wireless network and protect your data from prying eyes and ears.
This section is intended for the home, home office, and small office
user. At the time of this User Manual’s publication, there are four
encryption methods available.
Name 64-Bit Wired
Equivalent
Privacy
128-Bit Wired
Equivalent
Privacy
Wi-Fi Protected
Access-TKIP
Wi-Fi Protected
Access 2
Acronym 64-bit WEP 128-bit WEP WPA-TKIP/AES
(or just WPA)
WPA2-AES
(or just WPA2)
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)
More secure
than 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