Installation and Configuration
20
ProSafe Wireless-N Access Point WNAP210
Wireless Security Options
Anyone wih a compatible wireless adapter can receive your wireless data transmissions well
beyond your walls. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment. The
access point provides highly effective security features, which are covered in detail in this
chapter. Deploy the security features appropriate for your needs.
There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:
• Restrict access based on MAC address. You can restrict access to only trusted
computers so that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect to the access point.
MAC address filtering adds an obstacle against unwanted access to your network, but the
data broadcast over the wireless link is fully exposed. See
Restrict Wireless Access by
MAC Address on page 29.
• Turn off the broadcast of the wireless network name (SSID). If you disable broadcast
of the SSID, only devices that have the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the
wireless network “discovery” feature of some products such as Windows XP, but the data
is still fully exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless
sniffers. See
Security Profiles on page 21.
• Use WPA2 or WPA Security Option. A security option is the type of security protocol
applied to your wireless network. The security protocol encrypts data transmissions and
ensures that only trusted devices receive authorization to connect to your network. There
are several types of encryption: Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2), WPA, and Wired
Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA2 is the latest and most secure, and is recommended if
your equipment supports it. See
Security Profiles on page 21
Note: WEP and TKIP provide only legacy (slower) rates of operation.
NETGEAR recommends AES encryption so that you can use the
11n rates and speed. See Table 2 on page 22.
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