Netgear FVS318N User Manual

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Wireless Configuration and Security
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 ProSafe Wireless-N 8-Port Gigabit VPN Firewall FVS318N
Wireless Data Security Options
Indoors, computers can connect over 802.11n wireless networks at a maximum range of 
300 feet. Typically, a wireless VPN firewall inside a building works best with devices within a 
100 foot radius. Such distances can allow for others outside your immediate area to access 
your network.
Unlike wired network data, your wireless data transmissions can extend beyond your walls 
and can be received by anyone with a compatible adapter. For this reason, use the security 
features of your wireless equipment. The wireless VPN firewall provides highly effective 
security features that are covered in detail in this chapter. Deploy the security features 
appropriate to your needs.
Figure 55. 
There are several ways you can enhance the security of your wireless network:
Restrict access based by MAC address. You can allow only trusted computers to 
connect so that unknown computers cannot wirelessly connect to the wireless VPN 
firewall. Restricting access by MAC address adds an obstacle against unwanted access 
to your network, but the data broadcast over the wireless link is fully exposed. For 
information about how to restrict access by MAC address, see 
Turn off the broadcast of the wireless network name (SSID). If you disable broadcast 
of the SSID, only devices that have the correct SSID can connect. This nullifies the 
wireless network discovery feature of some products, such as Windows XP, but the data 
is still exposed. For information about how to turn of broadcast of the SSID, see 
WEP. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption provides data security. WEP 
shared key authentication and WEP data encryption block all but the most determined 
eavesdropper. This data encryption mode has been superseded by WPA-PSK and 
WPA2-PSK. 
For information about how to configure WEP, see 
WPA. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) data encryption provides strong data security with 
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) or a combination of TKIP and Counter Mode with