Another important part of configuring your router is enabling security protocols. I mentioned in a previous chapter that all wireless routers have some type of built in security. It will be in the form either WEP or WPA. You should whichever your router offers.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is the original security protocol for wireless routers. As the name implies, it is supposed to provide roughly the same level of security that you would have in a wired network. There are two versions. One offers 40-bit encryption and one offers 128-bit encryption. You should choose 128-bit. The 40-bit version is obsolete and insecure. WEP encrypts all traffic that flows through your wireless network and requires that users enter a password to join your network. WEP will mainly be found on older routers. If your router does not offer WPA, you definitely should enable WEP.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) provides a higher level of security for your wireless network. It is much harder to crack. The level of security it provides is roughly equivalent to a Virtual Private Network (WPN) connection. WPA is found on many newer routers. If your router offers this, you should use it instead of WEP.

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