108 Mbps Wireless Router WGT624 v4 Reference Manual

2-6

Wireless Settings and Security

v1.0, May 2007

Understanding Wireless Security

To protect your network from unauthorized access, use the security features of your wireless

equipment.

There are several ways you can enhance the security of you wireless network.

•

Restrict access based on MAC (Media Access Control) address.

You can restrict access to

only trusted computers so that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect to the

WGT624 v4. 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 Windows XP, but the data is still fully exposed

to a determined snoop using specialized test equipment like wireless sniffers.

Warning:

Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11g wireless networks at a

maximum range of up to 300 feet. Such distances can allow for others outside

of your immediate area to access your network.

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WGT624 v4

108 Mbps Wireless Router WGT624 v4 Reference Manual

Wireless Settings and Security

2-7

v1.0, May 2007

•

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption.

Provides data security. WEP Shared

Key authentication and WEP data encryption will block all but the most determined

eavesdropper.

•

Wi-Fi Protected Access—Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK

and

WPA2-PSK).

Provide strong

data security. WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK will block eavesdropping. Because these are new

standards, wireless device driver and software availability may be limited.

•

Turn off the wireless LAN.

If you disable the wireless LAN, wireless devices cannot

communicate with the router at all. You might choose to turn off the wireless the LAN when

you are away and the others in the household all use wired connections.

Wireless Security Options

The following table identifies the basic wireless security options on the Wireless Settings page.

For a link to a full explanation of these standards, see

“Wireless Communications” in Appendix B

.

Wireless Security

Option Field

Description

None

No wireless security.

WEP

WEP offers the following options:

•

Open System

With Open Network Authentication and 64- or 128-bit WEP Data Encryption,

the WGT624 v4 does perform 64- or 128-bit data encryption but does not

perform authentication.

•

Shared Key

Shared Key authentication encrypts the SSID and data. Not all wireless

adapter configuration utilities support passphrase key generation.

• Auto

The wireless router automatically detects whether Open System or Shared

Key is used.

WPA-PSK WPA2-PSK

•

WPA-Pre-shared Key

does

perform authentication.

•

WPA-PSK uses TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) data encryption and

WPA2-PSK uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) data encryption. Both

dynamically change the encryption keys, making them nearly impossible to

circumvent.

108 Mbps Wireless Router WGT624 v4 Reference Manual

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Wireless Settings and Security

v1.0, May 2007

WEP Wireless Security

When you are setting up wireless security, these guidelines will help make the process simpler and

easier:

•

Use an Ethernet cable to connect your computer to the router when you are setting up or

changing wireless settings. If you are connected wirelessly and you set up the wireless

security, you will lose your wireless connection when you apply the change.

•

Remember to note what your wireless settings are. For help keeping track of them, see

“Information to Gather Before Changing the Wireless Settings” on page 2-3

.

Setting Up WEP

To set up Wired Encryption Protocol (WEP) wireless security:

1.

Log in to the WGT624 v4 wireless router at its default LAN address of

with

its default user name of

admin

and default password of

password

, or using whatever LAN

address and password you have set up.

2.

Click the Wireless Settings link in the Setup section of the main menu.

Note:

Before setting up wireless security, verify that your wireless connections are set up

and working. See

“Setting Up Your Wireless Connections” on page 2-2

.

Note:

For instructions for configuring wireless computers or personal digital assistants

(PDAs) for WEP, see the documentation for the product you are using.

108 Mbps Wireless Router WGT624 v4 Reference Manual

Wireless Settings and Security

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v1.0, May 2007

3.

In the Security Options section, select WEP. The WEP options display.

4.

Select the Authentication Type.

The default setting is Automatic, which usually works. If it does not, select Open System or

Shared Key. Check your wireless card’s documentation to see which method to use.

5.

From the Security Encryption drop-down list, select the WEP encryption strength.

Figure 2-3

Note:

64-bit WEP encryption strength is sometimes referred to as 40-bit encryption.

108 Mbps Wireless Router WGT624 v4 Reference Manual

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Wireless Settings and Security

v1.0, May 2007

6.

You can manually or automatically program the four data encryption keys. These values must

be identical on all computers and Access Points in your network.

•

Automatic. Enter a word or group of printable characters for the Passphrase, and then click

Generate. The passphrase is case-sensitive; NETGEAR is not the same as nETgear. The

four key boxes will be automatically populated with key values.

•

Manual. Select which of the four keys will be active and enter ten hexadecimal digits (any

combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F).

See

“Wireless Communications” in Appendix B

for a link to a document on the NETGEAR

Web site that contains a full explanation of each of these options, as defined by the IEEE

802.11 wireless communication standard.

7.

Click

Apply

to save your settings.

Figure 2-4

Tip:

If you were connected wirelessly to the router, you lost the wireless connection

when you clicked Apply. Now you must change the wireless security settings

for your computer to match the router settings. Then you will be able to connect

to the router.