User Manual

Chapter 13: Configuring Security
Comparison Of Security Modes For Key Management, Authentication And Encryption Algorithms
116
Psion Teklogix 9160 Wireless Gateway User Manual
That said, however, security may not be as much of a priority on some types of
networks. If you are simply providing internet and printer access, as on a guest net-
work, plain-text mode (no security) may be the appropriate choice. To prevent
clients from accidentally discovering and connecting to your network, you can
disable the broadcast SSID so that your network name is not advertised. If the
network is sufficiently isolated from access to sensitive information, this may offer
enough protection in some situations. This level of protection is the only one offered
for guest networks, and also may be the right convenience trade-off for other scenar-
ios where the priority is making it as easy as possible for clients to connect. (See
“Does Prohibiting The Broadcast SSID Enhance Security?” on page 122)
Following is a brief discussion of what factors make one mode more secure than
another, a description of each mode offered, and when to use each mode.
13.1.2 Comparison Of Security Modes For Key Management,
Authentication And Encryption Algorithms
Three major factors that determine the effectiveness of a security protocol are:
• How the protocol manages keys.
• Presence or absence of integrated user authentication in the protocol.
• Encryption algorithm or formula the protocol uses to encode/decode
the data.
Following is a list of the security modes available on the 9160 Wireless Gateway,
along with a description of the key management, authentication, and encryption
algorithms used in each mode. We include some suggestions as to when one mode
might be more appropriate than another.
• “When To Use Plain-text” on page 117.
• “When To Use Static WEP” on page 117.
• “When To Use IEEE 802.1x” on page 118.
• “When To Use WPA/WPA2 Personal (PSK)” on page 119.
• “When To Use WPA/WPA2 Enterprise (RADIUS)” on page 120.