26

Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Wireless Security

Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

RADIUS

. This option features WEP used in coordination with a RADIUS server. (This should only be used when a

RADIUS server is connected to the Router.) First, enter the RADIUS server’s IP address and port number in the

RADIUS Server IP Address

and

RADIUS Server Port

fields. Enter the key shared between the Router and the server

in the

Shared Secret

field.

To indicate which WEP key to use, select the appropriate

Default Transmit Key

number. Then, select the level of

WEP encryption,

64 bits 10 hex digits

or

128 bits 26 hex digits

. Higher encryption levels offer higher levels of

security, but due to the complexity of the encryption, they may decrease network performance.

Instead of manually entering WEP keys, you can enter a Passphrase to generate one or more WEP keys. The

Passphrase is case-sensitive and should have no more than 32 alphanumeric characters. If you want to use a

Passphrase, then enter it in the

Passphrase

field and click the

Generate

button.

If you want to enter the WEP key(s) manually, then enter it in the

Key 1-4

field(s). (Do not leave a field blank, and

do not enter all zeroes; they are not valid key values.) If you are using 64-bit WEP encryption, the key must be

exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in length. If you are using 128-bit WEP encryption, the key must be exactly 26

hexadecimal characters in length. Valid hexadecimal characters are “0” to “9” and “A” to “F”.

When you have finished making changes to the screen, click the

Save Settings

button to save the changes, or

click the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Help information is shown on the right-hand side of a

screen. For additional information, click

More

.

WEP

. WEP is a basic encryption method, which is not as secure as WPA. To indicate which WEP key to use, select

the appropriate

Default Transmit Key

number. Then, select the level of WEP encryption,

64 bits 10 hex digits

or

128 bits 26 hex digits

. Higher encryption levels offer higher levels of security, but due to the complexity of the

encryption, they may decrease network performance.

Instead of manually entering WEP keys, you can enter a Passphrase to generate one or more WEP keys. The

Passphrase is case-sensitive and should have no more than 32 alphanumeric characters. If you want to use a

Passphrase, then enter it in the

Passphrase

field and click the

Generate

button.

If you want to enter the WEP key(s) manually, then enter it in the

Key 1-4

field(s). (Do not leave a field blank, and

do not enter all zeroes; they are not valid key values.) If you are using 64-bit WEP encryption, the key must be

exactly 10 hexadecimal characters in length. If you are using 128-bit WEP encryption, the key must be exactly 26

hexadecimal characters in length. Valid hexadecimal characters are “0” to “9” and “A” to “F”.

When you have finished making changes to the screen, click the

Save Settings

button to save the changes, or

click the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Help information is shown on the right-hand side of a

screen. For additional information, click

More

.

Figure 6-15: Wireless Security - RADIUS

Figure 6-16: Wireless Security - WEP

wep

(wired equivalent privacy): a method of

encrypting network data transmitted on a

wireless network for greater security

27

Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Wireless Network Access

Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Wireless Network Access

This screen allows you to control access to your wireless network.

Wireless Network Access

Access List

. To allow the designated computers to access your network, select the

Permit to access

radio

button. To block the designated computers from accessing your wireless network, select the

Prevent from

accessing

radio button. Click

Disabled

to disable the access function.

MAC 1-20

. Enter the MAC addresses of the designated computers. For a more convenient way to add MAC

addresses, click the

Select

MAC Address From Networked Computers

button. The

Networked Computers

screen will appear. Select the MAC Addresses you want. Then click the

Select

button. Click the

Refresh

button if

you want to refresh the screen. Click the

Close

button to return to the previous screen.

If you want detailed instructions on how to find the MAC address of a specific computer, refer to “Appendix F:

Finding the MAC Address or IP Address for Your Ethernet Adapter.”

When you have finished making changes to the screen, click the

Save Settings

button to save the changes, or

click the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. For help information, click

More

.

Figure 6-17: Wireless Tab - Wireless Network Access

Figure 6-18: Networked Computers

28

Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Advanced Wireless Settings

Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Advanced Wireless Settings

This tab is used to set up the Router’s advanced wireless functions. These settings should only be adjusted by an

advanced user as incorrect settings can reduce wireless performance.

Advanced Wireless

Authentication Type

. The default is set to

Auto

, which allows either Open System or Shared Key authentication

to be used. Select the appropriate authentication type for your network. For Open System authentication, the

sender and the recipient do NOT use a WEP key for authentication. For Shared Key authentication, the sender and

recipient use a WEP key for authentication.

Basic Data Rates

. Select

1-2 Mbps

,

All (1-2-5.5-6-11-24)

, or

Default (1-2-5.5-11)

, from the drop-down

menu. The Basic Data Rates setting is not actually one rate of transmission but a series of rates at which the

Router can transmit. The Router will advertise its Basic Data Rate to the other wireless devices in your network,

so they know which rates will be used. The Router will also advertise that it will automatically select the best rate

for transmission. The default setting is

Default

, when the Router can transmit at all standard wireless rates (1-

2Mbps, 5.5Mbps, 11Mbps). Other options are

1-2Mbps

, for use with older wireless technology, and

All

, when the

Router can transmit at all wireless rates (1-2Mbps, 5.5Mbps, 6Mbps, 11Mbps, 24Mbps). The Basic Rate is not the

actual rate of data transmission. If you want to specify the Router’s rate of data transmission, configure the

Control Tx Rate setting.

Control Tx Rates

.The default value is

Auto

. The range is from 1 to 54Mbps. The rate of data transmission should

be set depending on the speed of your wireless network. You can select from a range of transmission speeds, or

keep the default setting,

Auto

, to have the Router automatically use the fastest possible data rate and enable the

Auto-Fallback feature. Auto-Fallback will negotiate the best possible connection speed between the Router and a

wireless client.

Beacon Interval

. The default value is

100

. Enter a value between 1 and 65,535 milliseconds. The Beacon Interval

value indicates the frequency interval of the beacon. A beacon is a packet broadcast by the Router to synchronize

the wireless network.

DTIM Interval

. The default value is

3

.This value, between 1 and 255, indicates the interval of the Delivery Traffic

Indication Message (DTIM). A DTIM field is a countdown field informing clients of the next window for listening to

broadcast and multicast messages. When the Router has buffered broadcast or multicast messages for

associated clients, it sends the next DTIM with a DTIM Interval value. Its clients hear the beacons and awaken to

receive the broadcast and multicast messages.

RTS Threshold

. The RTS Threshold value should remain at its default value of

2347

. Should you encounter

inconsistent data flow, only minor reduction of the default value,

2347

, is recommended. If a network packet is

Figure 6-19: Wireless Tab - Advanced Wireless Settings

dtim

(delivery traffic indication message): A

message included in data packets that can

increase wireless efficiency

beacon interval:

The frequency interval of the

beacon, which is a packet broadcast by a

router to synchronize a wireless network

rts

(request to send): A packet sent when a

computer has data to transmit. The computer

will wait for a CTS (Clear To Send) message

before sending data

29

Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Wireless Tab - Advanced Wireless Settings

Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

smaller than the preset RTS threshold size, the RTS/CTS mechanism will not be enabled. The Router sends

Request to Send (RTS) frames to a particular receiving station and negotiates the sending of a data frame. After

receiving an RTS, the wireless station responds with a Clear to Send (CTS) frame to acknowledge the right to

begin transmission.

Fragmentation Threshold

. In most cases, this value should remain at its default value of

2346

. It specifies the

maximum size for a packet before data is fragmented into multiple packets. If you experience a high packet error

rate, you may slightly increase the Fragmentation Threshold. Setting the Fragmentation Threshold too low may

result in poor network performance. Only minor reduction of the default value is recommended.

When you have finished making changes to the screen, click the

Save Settings

button to save the changes, or

click the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. For help information, click

More

.

fragmentation:

Breaking a packet into smaller

units when transmitting over a network medium

that cannot support the original size of the

packet

30

Chapter 6: Configuring the Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Security Tab - Firewall

Wireless-G VPN Broadband Router

The Security Tab - Firewall

When you click the Security tab, you will see the

Firewall

screen. The Router’s firewall enhances the security of

your network. You can also enable a variety of filters to further protect your network.

Firewall

Firewall Protection

. The firewall uses Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) to check the incoming data transmissions

before allowing them to enter your network. To use the Router’s firewall, click

Enabled

. If you do not want

firewall protection, click

Disabled

.

Additional Filters

Filter Proxy

. Use of WAN proxy servers may compromise the Router's security. Denying Filter Proxy will disable

access to any WAN proxy servers. To enable proxy filtering, click

Enabled

.

Filter Cookies

. A cookie is data stored on your PC and used by Internet sites when you interact with them. To

enable cookie filtering, click

Enabled

.

Filter Java Applets

. Java is a programming language for websites. If you deny Java Applets, you run the risk of

not having access to Internet sites created using this programming language. To enable Java Applet filtering,

click

Enabled

.

Filter ActiveX

. ActiveX is a programming language for websites. If you deny ActiveX, you run the risk of not

having access to Internet sites created using this programming language. To enable ActiveX filtering, click

Enabled

.

Filter Multicast

. Multicasting allows for multiple transmissions to specific recipients at the same time. If

multicasting is permitted, then the Router will allow IP multicast packets to be forwarded to the appropriate

computers. Select

Enabled

to filter multicasting, or

Disabled

to disable this feature.

Block WAN Requests

Block Anonymous Internet Requests

. This keeps your network from being “pinged” or detected and reinforces

your network security by hiding your network ports, so it is more difficult for intruders to work their way into your

network. Select

Enabled

to block anonymous Internet requests, or

Disabled

to allow anonymous Internet

requests.

When you have finished making changes to the screen, click the

Save Settings

button to save the changes, or

click the

Cancel Changes

button to undo your changes. Help information is shown on the right-hand side of a

screen. For additional information, click

More

.

Figure 6-20: Security Tab - Firewall

spi

(stateful packet inspection)

firewall:

A

technology that inspects incoming packets of

information before allowing them to enter the

network