D-Link DAP-1160 - What is WPA?

42D-Link DAP-1160 User Manual
Section 3 - Security
What is WPA?
WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access, is a Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve the security features of WEP (Wired
Equivalent Privacy).
There are 2 major improvements over WEP:
• Improved data encryption through the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP scrambles the keys
using a hashing algorithm and by adding an integrity-checking feature ensures that the keys haven’t
been tampered with.
• User authentication, which is generally missing in WEP, is done through the Extensible Authentication
Protocol (EAP). WEP regulates access to a wireless network based on a computer’s hardware-specic
MAC address, which is relatively simple to be sniffed out and stolen. EAP is built on a more secure public-
key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network.
WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK uses a passphrase or key to authenticate your wireless connection. The key is an alpha-numeric
password between 8 and 63 characters long. The password can include symbols (!?*&_) and spaces. This key must
be the exact same key entered on your wireless router or access point.
WPA-EAP/WPA2-EAP incorporates user authentication through the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). EAP
is built on a more secure public key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the
network.
WPA2-Auto-PSK/WPA2-Auto-EAP accepts wireless clients that use WPA or WPA2. Authentication is sill necessary.