Wireless - which encryption is decent?

chin · 04-15-2007, 02:39 PM

I keep reading that wep can be cracked within a minute and wpa within a few hours... if that is so, is there another encryption method I should be using? I haven't bought my wireless router yet so i want to get one that supports encryption that will keep me as sec ure as possible.... is there something out there better than wpa?

johnwill · 04-15-2007, 04:33 PM

WPA with a long and random key (20 characters or more, letters and numbers). There is no known crack for WPA/WPA2 with a strong password.

**carsey** · 04-15-2007, 04:41 PM

Also consider only allowing certain MAC addresses to access your router. This way, no one else will be able to get onto your router.

johnwill · 04-15-2007, 04:45 PM

Actually, with WPA/WPA2 and a strong password, there's no need to create another barrier. In addition, doing that frequently comes back to bite you in the butt in a few months. Your friend comes over with a laptop, and you try to connect them, but even with the right key, they can't connect. I've seen this a number of times.

Oogitsmelol · 04-15-2007, 05:10 PM

yeah, when i tried to get my brother's wii to connect to the internet, i couldnt figure out what it was. i had the ssid and key right, but couldnt figure it out. finally realized that i had mac blocking turned on, and that was the problem. i would go with wpa if i were you, it is more secure, however wep will deter people who dont really care, or dont know what they are doing. i wish i knew who the person around here who has the ssid of "linksys" is... they are using the default wpa key :)

chin · 04-15-2007, 05:49 PM

thanks for all the info!

Is it ok to mismatch hardware? Say I want to buy a linksys w-less router and buy a belkin wireless adapter... will that work ok if they both support wpa?

Vinaygk · 04-16-2007, 01:13 AM

1.Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP
2.Don't broadcast your SSID
3.Use MAC filtering for access control

If you try these, No one can guess the password or can get access!!!

johnwill · 04-16-2007, 06:42 PM

No problem mixing brands, just turn off all the optional "turbo" modes and run straight 802.11b/g

Once again, forget turning off the SSID and MAC filtering, with WPA you don't need to do that. All that does is makes your network harder for you to use.

04-15-2007, 02:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
chin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Santa Maria, CA Posts: 232 OS: XP Home/Vista	Wireless - which encryption is decent? I keep reading that wep can be cracked within a minute and wpa within a few hours... if that is so, is there another encryption method I should be using? I haven't bought my wireless router yet so i want to get one that supports encryption that will keep me as sec ure as possible.... is there something out there better than wpa?

04-15-2007, 04:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 32,581 OS: XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? WPA with a long and random key (20 characters or more, letters and numbers). There is no known crack for WPA/WPA2 with a strong password. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

04-15-2007, 04:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
carsey Moderator, TSF Articles Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hunwick, Co. Durham England Posts: 9,835 OS: XP Pro SP3 My System	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? Also consider only allowing certain MAC addresses to access your router. This way, no one else will be able to get onto your router. __________________ Submit New Articles Here

04-15-2007, 04:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 32,581 OS: XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? Actually, with WPA/WPA2 and a strong password, there's no need to create another barrier. In addition, doing that frequently comes back to bite you in the butt in a few months. Your friend comes over with a laptop, and you try to connect them, but even with the right key, they can't connect. I've seen this a number of times. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

04-15-2007, 05:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Oogitsmelol Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 51 OS: Windows XP	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? yeah, when i tried to get my brother's wii to connect to the internet, i couldnt figure out what it was. i had the ssid and key right, but couldnt figure it out. finally realized that i had mac blocking turned on, and that was the problem. i would go with wpa if i were you, it is more secure, however wep will deter people who dont really care, or dont know what they are doing. i wish i knew who the person around here who has the ssid of "linksys" is... they are using the default wpa key :)

04-15-2007, 05:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
chin Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Santa Maria, CA Posts: 232 OS: XP Home/Vista	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? thanks for all the info! Is it ok to mismatch hardware? Say I want to buy a linksys w-less router and buy a belkin wireless adapter... will that work ok if they both support wpa?

04-16-2007, 01:13 AM	#7 (permalink)
Vinaygk Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 14 OS: XP	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? 1.Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP 2.Don't broadcast your SSID 3.Use MAC filtering for access control If you try these, No one can guess the password or can get access!!!

04-16-2007, 06:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 32,581 OS: XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	Re: Wireless - which encryption is decent? No problem mixing brands, just turn off all the optional "turbo" modes and run straight 802.11b/g Once again, forget turning off the SSID and MAC filtering, with WPA you don't need to do that. All that does is makes your network harder for you to use. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience