D-Link DWR-956M User Manual page 130

This section will show you the different levels of encryption you can use to help protect your data from intruders. The DWR-956M
offers the following types of security:
 WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2)
 WPA2-PSK (Pre-Shared Key)
 WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)
 WPA-PSK (Pre-Shared Key)
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), is a Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve the security features of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy).
The 2 major improvements over WEP:
 Improved data encryption through the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP scrambles the keys using a hashing algorithm and by
adding an integrity-checking feature, ensures that the keys haven't been tampered with. WPA2 is based on 802.11i and uses Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES) instead of TKIP.
 User authentication, which is generally missing in WEP, through the extensible authentication protocol (EAP). WEP regulates access to a
wireless network based on a computer's hardware-specific MAC address, which is relatively simple to be sniffed out and stolen. EAP is
built on a more robust public-key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network.
WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK uses a passphrase or key to authenticate your wireless connection. The key is an alpha-numeric password between
8 and 63 characters long. The password can include symbols (!?*&_) and spaces. This key must be the exact same key entered on your
wireless router or access point.
WPA/WPA2 incorporates user authentication through the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). EAP is built on a more robust public
key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network.
Wireless Security
What is WPA?