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Is WEP a safe way to secure my wireless network?

Wednesday, 16th September 2009
by DaniaB


I recently setup my wireless network and want to ensure that it is very secure. Is WEP a reliable enough way to go to ensure my network is secure?

NatH 		WEP provides reasonable security, stopping your neighbor or others from freely using your Internet connection or accessing any open shares, etc. It can, however, be hacked with a little knowledge, though it's not likely someone is going to bother as there are so many open WiFi's around! A better choice is to use the WPA2 encryption IF it is supported by the devices you have. Some people also disable the SSID broadcast, and manually configure their devices, as most devices will not even pick up that there is a WiFi router to try and hack; again, there are ways around this.

Cheers,

Nathan


Friday, 18th September 2009
Votes:
26
10

SecureWifi 		NO. WEP can be cracked in about 1 hour by someone new to WEP cracking and much less by anyone with experience.
You should use WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK. Check your router manual and settings pages. It might be listed as 'WPA/WPA2 Personal'.

Sources:
-Google search of WEP security
-Wikipedia (WEP)

Sunday, 11th April 2010
Votes:
18
9

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