Introduction - D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DWL-G650 Manual

Introduction

The D-Link AirPlusXtremeG DWL-G650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter is an enhanced
802.11g high-performance, wireless adapter that supports high-speed wireless networking
at home, at work or in public places.
Unlike most network cards, the DWL-G650 provides speeds of up to 54 Mbps (compared
to the standard 11 Mbps) when used with other D-Link AirXtremeG products. The 802.11g
standard is backwards compatible with 802.11b products. This means that you do not
need to change your entire network to maintain connectivity. You may sacrifice some of
802.11g's speed when you mix 802.11b and 802.11g devices, but you will not lose the
ability to communicate when you incorporate the 802.11g standard into your 802.11b
network. You may choose to slowly change your network by replacing the 802.11b
devices with 802.11g devices gradually.
In addition to offering faster data transfer speeds when used with other 802.11g products,
the DWL-G650 has the newest, strongest, most advanced security features available
today. When used with other 802.11g WPA (WiFi Protected Access) and 802.1x
compatible products in a network with a radius server, the security features include:
WPA: A new security feature, Wi-Fi Protected Access authorizes and identifies users
based on a secret key that changes automatically at a regular interval. (By
contrast, the older WEP encryption required the keys to be changed manually.)
802.1x: Authentication is a first line of defense against intrusion. In the
Authentication process the server verifies the identity of the client attempting
to connect to the network. Unfamiliar clients would be denied access.
TKIP: Temporal Key Integrity Protocol changes the temporal key every 10,000
packets ( a packet is a kind of message transmitted over a network.) This
insures much greater security than the standard WEP security.
AES: Advanced Encryption Standard offers much larger key sizes. At 128, 192,
or 256 bits, the AES keys are much stronger than the old WEP standard of
56 bits. It could take 149 trillion years to crack the code of an AES key, as
opposed to 1 second to crack an old WEP key.
For home users that will not incorporate a radius server in their network, the security for
the DWL-G650, used in conjunction with other 802.11g products, will be much stronger
than ever before. Utilizing the Pre Shared Key mode the DWL-G650 will obtain a new
security key every time it connects to the 802.11g network. You only need to input your
encryption information once in the configuration menu. No longer will you have to manually
input a new WEP key frequently to ensure security, with the DWL-G650, you will
automatically receive a new key every time you connect, vastly increasing the safety of
your communications.
TM
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