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You can implement various safety measures in your wireless network to protect your network from security threats. A few of these measures include WPA-PSK encryption and WEP encryption. WPA-PSK stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key, and is more secure than WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol) encryption. The only disadvantage of WPA-PSK is that it is not supported by some older Wi-Fi gear.
Enhancing security with WPA-PSK encryption
Use these steps to enhance the security of your network using WPA-PSK encryption:
1. Log in to the control panel for your WAP using a Web browser.
2. Locate the wireless security controls in your access point.
3. Select WPA-PSK as the authentication method.
4. Enter a passphrase in both Passphrase boxes (see Figure 1).
The passphrase can be between 8 and 63 characters, and it can include symbols such as question marks and ampersands. The passphrase should be long, random, and include both letters and numbers.
Figure 1: Use multiple keys for greater security.
5. Click OK or Apply to apply your changes.
6. If your network has a RADIUS server, select WPA, as shown in Figure 2. Enter the IP address, Port number, and Shared secret for your RADIUS server.
Figure 2: WPA requires a RADIUS server.
 | RADIUS servers are usually only found in corporate networks. |
Updating the WPA-PSK key in your wireless devices
Follow these steps to update the WPA-PSK network key in your wireless devices:
1. Open the connection utility in your wireless device.
2. Locate the network security controls.
3. In the Network Authentication drop-down list, choose WPA-PSK.
 | If your connection utility allows you to choose the TKIP or AES encryption methods, choose TKIP. |
4. Enter the Network key.
5. Click OK to apply your changes.
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