Wireless Security Options - NETGEAR MVBR1210C User Manual

Mobile Voice HSPA+ Broadband 11n Wireless Router MVBR1210C

Wireless Security Options

Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11n wireless networks at a maximum range of up
to 300 feet. Such distances can allow others outside your immediate area to access your
network.
Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can extend beyond your walls
and can be received by anyone with a compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security
features of your wireless equipment. The Mobile Voice HSPA+ Broadband 11n Wireless
Router provides highly effective security features, which are covered in detail in this chapter.
Deploy the security features appropriate to your needs.
Each router is preconfigured for WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK mixed mode and comes with a unique
SSID and passphrase.
There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:
Figure 3. Wireless security
• Restrict access based on MAC address. You can allow only trusted computers to
connect so that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect to the router. Restricting
access by MAC address 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 wireless
network "discovery" feature of some products, such as Windows XP, but the data is still
exposed.
• WEP. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP
Shared Key authentication and WEP data encryption block all but the most determined
eavesdropper. This data encryption mode has been superseded by WPA-PSK and
WPA2-PSK.
• WPA-PSK (TKIP), WPA2-PSK (AES). Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) uses a pre-shared
key to perform authentication and generate the initial data encryption keys. The very
strong authentication along with dynamic per frame rekeying of WPA makes it virtually
impossible to compromise.
Security Options
Range: up to 300 feet radius
1) Open system: easy but no security
2) MAC access list: no data security
MVBR1210C
3) WEP: security but some performance impact
4) WPA-PSK: strong security
5) WPA2-PSK: very strong security
Wireless Network Configuration
26
Wireless Data