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N450 Wireless Router WNR2500

WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, and WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK Mixed

Mode

These types of wireless security options use a pre-shared key (PSK), which is the same as a

passphrase, wireless network password, or network key.

You can select from the following wireless PSK security options:

•

WPA-PSK [TKIP]

. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) data encryption provides strong data

security with Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption. This option supports

speeds of up to 54 Mbps only.

•

WPA2-PSK [AES]

. Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 (WPA2) data encryption provides

strong data security with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption. This setting is

the preset wireless security that is enabled by default. WPA2 provides the most reliable

security. This option supports speeds of up to 300 Mbps. If not all clients in your network

support WPA2, select WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK mixed mode.

•

WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES]

. WPA-PSK + WPA2-PSK is referred to as mixed

mode, which supports a combination of TKIP and AES encryption for both WPA and

WPA2 clients. For WPA clients, this option supports speeds of up to 54 Mbps only. For

WPA2 clients, this option supports speeds of up to 300 Mbps.

•

WPA/WPA2 Enterprise

. This security option is not for home use but is typically used in a

business or enterprise. For more information, see

WPA/WPA2 Enterprise

on page

32.



To change the WPA wireless security option and passphrase:

1.

Select

BASIC > Wireless

.

2.

In the Security Options sections of the Wireless Settings screen, select one of the WPA

options with PSK.

3.

In the associated Passphrase field, enter the passphrase that you want to use.

The passphrase is a text string from 8 to 63 ASCII characters or exactly 64 hexadecimal

digits. A hexadecimal digit is one of the following characters: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

A–F, and a–f.

Wireless clients need to use the passphrase to access the wireless network through the

router.

4.

Click the

Apply

button.

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N450 Wireless Router WNR2500

WPA/WPA2 Enterprise

This security option is not for home use but is typically used in a business or enterprise.

WPA/WPA2 Enterprise does not use a passphrase but supports 802.1x authentication, which

requires an internal or external RADIUS server. A Remote Authentication Dial In User

Service (RADIUS) server provides Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)

management to grant (or deny) computers access to your wireless network.

WPA/WPA2 Enterprise can support WPA [TKIP] for WPA clients only, WPA2 [AES] for WPA2

clients only, and WPA [TKIP] + WPA2 [AES]. WPA [TKIP] + WPA2 [AES] is a combination of

TKIP and AES encryption for both WPA and WPA2 clients. WPA clients are supported at

speeds of up to 54

Mbps only. WPA2 clients are supported at speeds of up 300 Mbps.

WPA/WPA2 Enterprise supports five Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) authentication

methods: EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS/MSCHAPv2, PEAPv0/EAP-MSCHAPv2, PEAPv1/EAP-GTC,

and EAP-SIM.



To configure WPA/WPA2 Enterprise security:

1.

Select

BASIC > Wireless

.

2.

In the Security Options sections of the Wireless Settings screen, select the

WPA/WPA2

Enterprise

radio button.

3.

Select the WPA mode (

WPA [TKIP]

,

WPA2 [AES]

, or

WPA [TKIP] + WPA2 [AES]

).

4.

Type the IP address of the RADIUS server.

The address can be on your LAN or it can be an external address.

5.

Enter the port number for the RADIUS server in the range from 1 to 65535 (the default

number is 1812).

6.

Type the shared secret, which must be from 1 through 128 characters (the default value

is blank).

The shared secret is case-sensitive.

7.

Click the

Apply

button.

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WEP

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security is an authentication and data encryption mode that

is superseded by WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK. WEP supports speeds of up to 54 Mbps and

does not function with WPS. However, if you set up a wireless distribution system (see

Wireless Distribution System

on page

82), WEP is the only security that can be supported.

Note:

The WEP option displays only if you select Up to 54 Mbps from the

Mode list.



To configure WEP security:

1.

Select

BASIC > Wireless

.

2.

In the Security Options sections of the Wireless Settings screen, select the

WEP

radio

button.

3.

In the Authentication Type list, select one of the following types:

•

Automatic

. If you enter a passphrase in the Passphrase field and click the Generate

button, the four keys are automatically generated.

•

Shared Key

. If you select this option, you must select one key and enter the value

manually.

4.

In the Encryption Strength list, select the encryption key size:

•

64-bit

. Standard WEP encryption, using 40/64-bit encryption.

•

128-bit

. Standard WEP encryption, using 104/128-bit encryption. This selection

provides higher encryption security.

5.

Depending on the authentication type, generate the key automatically or enter it manually:

•

If the authentication type is Automatic:

a.

In the Passphrase field, enter a passphrase:

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N450 Wireless Router WNR2500

b.

Click the

Generate

button.

For 64-bit WEP, four different WEP keys are generated. For 128-bit WEP, only

one WEP key is generated, and the four key fields are populated with the same

WEP key.

•

If the authentication type is Shared Key:

a.

Specify the active key by selecting the

Key 1

,

Key 2

,

Key 3

, or

Key 4

radio

button.

b.

Enter the value for the key manually:

-

For 64-bit WEP, enter 10 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, A–F).

The key values are not case-sensitive.

-

For 128-bit WEP, enter 26 hexadecimal digits (any combination of 0–9, A–F).

The key values are not case-sensitive.

6.

Click the

Apply

button.

Attached Devices

This screen displays all of the computers and devices that are currently connected to your

wired and wireless networks.

View the Attached Devices

Both authorized and unauthorized users (intruders) display. Wired devices are connected to

the router through Ethernet cables. Wireless devices have joined the wireless network.



To view the devices that are connected to your networks:

1.

Select

BASIC >

Attached Devices

.

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N450 Wireless Router WNR2500

A screen similar to the following displays:

The Wired Devices and Wireless Devices tables show the following information:

•

# (number)

. The order in which the device joined the network.

•

Device Name

. If the device name is known, it is shown here.

•

IP Address

. The IP address that the router assigned to this device when it joined the

network. This number can change when a device is disconnected and rejoins the

network.

•

MAC Address

. The unique MAC address for each device does not change. The MAC

address is typically shown on the product label.

•

Connection Type

. The type of connection of the attached device.

2.

To make sure that all of the attached devices are authorized, examine the devices carefully.

To increase security, enable access control. For more information, see

Set Up Access

Control

on page

35.

3.

(Optional) Click the

Refresh

button.

The information that is displayed is updated.

Set Up Access Control

To allow or block computers and other electronic devices from accessing your network, use

access control. When a device is blocked, it can only get an IP address from your router, but

it cannot communicate with other devices on your network, nor can it connect to the Internet

through your router.