Due to WPA2 being a much safer choice, we recommend not using this mode.

This means your router uses WPA2 if possible but falls back on WPA when needed. WPA/WPA2 Mixed Mode may also be a choice in your particular router.WPA2-Enterprise is used for businesses only.We recommend this security mode for home networks. This password is entered through the computer or device that is connecting to your Wi-Fi network. With WPA2-Personal, you set up a password in your router which you share with those you want to have access to your network. WPA2-Personal is sometimes referred to as WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key).WPA2 has several different versions to choose from: This upgraded encryption uses AES ( Advanced Encryption Standard) thought to be uncrackable at this point. WPA2 replaced WPA's temporary key with a superior government level security encryption. In 2006 WPA2 became mandatory in all new Wi-Fi devices. This is good because it prevents hackers from injecting packets onto your network which is one of the primary means of getting in. Also, WPA enables your router to automatically reject any packets that it receives out of order. WPA uses a type of temporary encryption key that changes with each packet sent over the web. WPA was the intermediate step between WEP and WPA2 and was not intended to be used indefinitely. WPA and WPA2ĭue to the major inefficiencies of WEP, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) became available. Unfortunately, a lot of older routers have WEP as their default choice. WEP is not a 'wired equivalent,' as it's name suggests it can be cracked in less than a minute by a commonplace hacker. This static key becomes a big problem with security because a key that doesn't change is much easier to attack than one that is constantly changing. This means that the same key is used for all of the information or 'packets' you send over the air waves during a session. WEP uses a password to create a static encryption key that it then uses to encrypt data sent over the web.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) was introduced in 1999 and at first, it was thought to be as secure as a wired network. This guide describes these different types of encryption so that you can decide which is the best choice for your network. The three most common choices for encrypting your data are WEP, WPA, and WPA2. The best way to secure your wireless network is to change the type of encryption that your computer uses to send data. (Last Updated: August 07, 2021) | Reading Time: 3 minutes

Wep vs wpa vs wpa2