Belkin ME1004-R Router Manual PDF (Setup & Configuration Guide)

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Using the Web-Based Advanced User Interface

QoS (Quality of Service) Configuration

QoS prioritizes important data on your network such as multimedia

content and Voice over IP (VoIP) so it will not be interfered with by other

data being sent over the network. Based on 802.11e, you can turn this

feature on or off by selecting it from the drop-down menu and choosing

the acknowledgement mode you want to use. If you plan to stream

multimedia content or use VoIP on your network, we recommend that you

enable the QoS feature.

Changing the Wireless Channel

There are a number of operating channels you can choose from. In the

United States, there are 11 channels. In Australia, the United Kingdom,

and most of Europe, there are 13 channels. In a small number of other

countries, there are other channel requirements. Your Router is configured

to operate on the proper channels for the country you reside in. The

default channel is 11 (unless you are in a country that does not allow

channel 11). The channel can be changed if needed. If there are other

wireless networks operating in your area, your network should be set to

operate on a channel that is different than the other wireless networks.

For best performance, use a channel that is at least five channels away

from the other wireless network. For instance, if another network is

operating on channel 11, then set your network to channel 6 or below.

To change the channel, select the channel from the drop-down list. Click

“Apply Changes”. The change is immediate.

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Using the Web-Based Advanced User Interface

Using the Broadcast SSID Feature

Note: This advanced feature should be employed by advanced users only.

For security, you can choose not to broadcast your network’s SSID. Doing

so will keep your network name hidden from computers that are scanning

for the presence of wireless networks. To turn off the broadcast of the

SSID, remove the check mark from the box next to “Broadcast SSID”, and

then click “Apply Changes”. The change is immediate. Each computer

now needs to be set to connect to your specific SSID; an SSID of “ANY”

will no longer be accepted. Refer to the documentation of your wireless

network adapter for information on making this change.

Protected Mode Switch

As part of the 802.11g specification, Protected mode ensures proper

operation of 802.11g clients and access points when there is heavy

802.11b traffic in the operating environment. When Protected mode is

ON, 802.11g scans for other wireless network traffic before it transmits

data. Therefore, using this mode in environments with HEAVY 802.11b

traffic or interference achieves best performance results. If you are in an

environment with very little—or no—other wireless network traffic, your

best performance will be achieved with Protected mode OFF.

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Using the Web-Based Advanced User Interface

Securing your Wi-Fi

Network

Here are a few different ways you can maximize the security of your

wireless network and protect your data from prying eyes and ears. This

section is intended for the home, home office, and small office user.

At the time of this User Manual’s publication, there are four encryption

methods available.

Name

64-Bit Wired

Equivalent

Privacy

128-Bit Wired

Equivalent

Privacy

Wi-Fi Protected

Access-TKIP

Wi-Fi Protected

Access 2

Acronym

64-bit WEP

128-bit WEP

WPA-TKIP/AES

(or just WPA)

WPA2-AES

(or just WPA2)

Security

Good

Better

Best

Features

Static keys

Dynamic key

encryption

and mutual

authentication

Dynamic key

encryption

and mutual

authentication

Encryption

keys based

on RC4

algorithm

(typically

40-bit keys)

More secure

than 64-bit

WEP using a

key length of

104 bits plus

24 additional

bits of system-

generated data

TKIP (Temporal

Key Integrity

Protocol)

added so

that keys are

rotated and

encryption is

strengthened

AES (Advanced

Encryption

Standard)

does not

cause any

throughput loss

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

WEP is a common protocol that adds security to all Wi-Fi-compliant

wireless products. WEP was designed to give wireless networks the

equivalent level of privacy protection as a comparable wired network.

64-Bit WEP

64-bit WEP was first introduced with 64-bit encryption, which includes

a key length of 40 bits plus 24 additional bits of system-generated data

(64 bits total). Some hardware manufacturers refer to 64-bit as 40-bit

encryption. Shortly after the technology was introduced, researchers

found that 64-bit encryption was too easy to decode.

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Using the Web-Based Advanced User Interface

128-Bit WEP

As a result of 64-bit WEP’s potential security weaknesses, a more secure

method of 128-bit encryption was developed. 128-bit encryption includes

a key length of 104 bits plus 24 additional bits of system-generated

data (128 bits total). Some hardware manufacturers refer to 128-bit as

104-bit encryption.

Most of the new wireless equipment in the market today supports both

64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption, but you might have older equipment

that only supports 64-bit WEP. All wireless networking products from

MyEssentials support both 64-bit and 128-bit WEP.

Encryption Keys

After selecting either the 64-bit or 128-bit WEP encryption mode, it is

critical that you generate an encryption key. If the encryption key is

not consistent throughout the entire wireless network, your wireless

networking devices will be unable to communicate with one another on

your network and you will not be able to successfully communicate within

your network.

You can enter your key by typing in the hex key manually, or you can type

in a passphrase in the “Passphrase” field and click “Generate” to create

a key. A hex (hexadecimal) key is a combination of numbers and letters

from A–F and 0–9. For 64-bit WEP, you need to enter 10 hex keys. For

128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 hex keys.

For instance:

AF 0F 4B C3 D4

= 64-bit WEP key

C3 03 0F AF 0F 4B B2 C3 D4 4B C3 D4 E7

= 128-bit WEP key

The WEP passphrase is NOT the same as a WEP key. Your Router uses

this passphrase to generate your WEP keys, but different hardware

manufacturers might have different methods on generating the keys. If

you have multiple vendors’ equipment in your network, the easiest thing

to do is to use the hex WEP key from your Router and enter it manually

into the hex WEP key table in your Router’s configuration screen.

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Using the Web-Based Advanced User Interface

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

WPA is a new Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve upon the

security features of WEP. To use WPA security, the drivers and software

of your wireless equipment must be upgraded to support WPA. These

updates will be found on the wireless vendor’s website. There are three

types of WPA security: WPA-PSK (no server), WPA (with radius server),

and WPA2.

WPA-PSK (no server)

uses what is known as a pre-shared key as the

network key. A network key is basically a password that is between eight

and 63 characters long. It can be a combination of letters, numbers, or

characters. Each client uses the same network key to access the network.

Typically, this is the mode that will be used in a home environment.

WPA (with radius server)

is a system where a radius server distributes

the network key to the clients automatically. This is typically found in

a business environment.

WPA2

requires Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for encryption

of data, which offers much greater security than WPA. WPA uses both

Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) and (AES) for encryption.

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