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v1.0, September 2008
Chapter 3
Wireless Security Settings
Your wireless data transmissions can be received well beyond your walls by anyone with a
compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security features of your wireless equipment. The
NETGEAR Wireless-N Access Point provides highly effective security features which are covered
in detail in this chapter. Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.
Wireless Security Options
The following is a list of wireless security options you can select from, depending on your security
needs:
1. No Security: Easy, but no security.
2. MAC Access List: No data security.
3. WEP: Security, but vulnerable.
4. WPA or WPA-PSK: Strong security.
5. WPA2 or WPA2-PSK: Very strong security.
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 PCs so that
unknown PCs cannot wirelessly connect to the WN802T v2. MAC address filtering adds an
obstacle against unwanted access to your network, but the data broadcast over the wireless link
is fully exposed.
• 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 Vista and Windows XP, but the data is
still fully exposed to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless
sniffers.
• Use WEP. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP
open authentication and WEP data encryption will block all but the most determined
eavesdropper.