Which wpa2 to choose

There have been significant advancements in Wi-Fi security protocols since The evolution of technology has led to security protocols that are more secure and keep more individuals from accessing your private information. But why is that? First ratified in , even the earliest versions of WEP were not stable. It started off with bit encryption, but today it can go up to bit encryption although most machines still use bit encryption. That means your router uses a bit key like an algorithm to encrypt data or files so no one else can read them.

Unfortunately, there are many flaws with the WEP protocol that can compromise your security. However, if you have an older software, WPA can be utilized with minimal processing power and could be a better option for you than the WEP alternative. WPA2 has personal and enterprise options, making it ideal for home users and businesses. However, it needs a significant amount of processing power so if you have an old device, it may be slow or not work at all.

Lifewire Help Desk Geek. Panda Security specializes in the development of endpoint security products and is part of the WatchGuard portfolio of IT security solutions. Initially focused on the development of antivirus software, the company has since expanded its line of business to advanced cyber-security services with technology for preventing cyber-crime.

You will need to access the router contro panel and go to security tab. Find the password area and see what kind of encryption you using. Your email address will not be published. April 8, 5 minute read. You should also check with your internet service provider to see if WPA2 is already elected for your network.

To manually set up this encryption: 1. Connect the device to an ethernet cable. Start by trying the two most popular addresses: If neither of these work, you can locate your IP address in one of two ways:. The IP address should take you to a page hosted by your internet service provider.

From there, steps can vary depending on the device manufacturer. Be sure to choose WPA2. From renaming your network to upgrading your router, discover the simple steps to improving the security of your home wifi network. Read the guide: Improving wifi security. Learn how to add or change your wifi password and secure your network. Read the guide: Wifi passwords. Finally, the protocol creates a new encryption key for each session, while the older encryption standards used the same key for everybody -- which is why they were a lot easier to crack.

Also part of the new standard is Pairwise Master Key caching, where faster connections occur when a client goes back to a wireless access point to which the client already is authenticated. We'll get back to this in a moment, but let's show you how to get this train going. Step 1: Windows OS: First make sure your operating system is up to date. If you are running Windows XP, you'll need service pack 2 and you'll need to download the WPA2 patch that's located here.

If you're using a Mac, you need to be running OS X Apple calls its version WPA2 Personal. While Linux is outside the scope of this article, you can get more information here. Step 2: Wireless Adapter: While you are updating your Windows OS, you might want to make sure that the wireless adapter in your laptop is also up to the task of supporting WPA2.

The Wi-Fi Alliance maintains an online database of products that is somewhat difficult to use. Go to their Web site , check the WPA2 box and then select which vendor you are interested in. If you have a built-in Intel wireless adapter, it needs to be running Intel's ProSet version 7. You can get more information on this page on Intel's Web site. If you have purchased it in the last year, chances are good that it does, but you might need to update your firmware as well. For the Belkin Pre-N router model , I needed to update the firmware to version 2.

An older model didn't support WPA2 and couldn't be upgraded.