What is Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi is a Wireless Networking technology that allows devices such as computers, mobile devices, and other equipment such as printers and video cameras to interface with the Internet. It allows these devices--and many more--to exchange information with one another, creating a network.
How to access a wireless network?
You will need a wireless network-enabled device such as a laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc. You will also need to be within the transmission radius of a wireless network access point. Most devices (if the wireless network option is turned on) will provide you with a list of available networks. If the network is not password protected, then you just have to click on connect. If it is password protected, then you will need the password to gain access.
Wireless Network Devices:
Wireless Router:
A wireless router is a device that accepts an incoming Internet connection and sends data as RF signals to other wireless devices that are near the router. Wireless routers are used to connect wireless-enabled computers and other devices to the Internet. A network set-up with a wireless router is sometimes called a wireless local area network (WLAN).
Wireless Repeater:
A wireless repeater is a wireless networking device that is used to extend the range of a router. A repeater receives wireless signals and then re-emits them with increased strength. By placing a repeater between a router and the computer connected to the router, signal strength can be boosted, resulting in faster connection speeds.
Network Traffic:
Network traffic or data traffic is the amount of data moving across a network at a given point in time. Network data in a computer network is mostly encapsulated in network packets, which provide the load in the network. Network traffic is the main component for network traffic measurement, network traffic control, and simulation.
Authentication:
An authentication protocol is a type of computer communication protocol or cryptographic protocol specifically designed for the transfer of authentication data between two entities. It allows the receiving entity to authenticate the connecting entity (e.g. Client connecting to a Server) as well as to authenticate itself to the connecting entity (Server to a client) by declaring the type of information needed for authentication as well as syntax. It is the most important layer of protection needed for secure communication within computer networks.
Since the network is easily accessible to everyone with a wireless network-enabled device, most networks are password protected. Let’s look at some of the most commonly used authentication techniques.
Types of Authentication:
- WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy
- WPA: Wi-Fi Protection Access
- WPA2: Secure Version of WPA
WEP Authentication:
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security standard designed to provide wireless networks with comparable security to that of wired networks. Shared Key Authentication is a critical component of WEP, helping to ensure that only authorized clients can access a network. Although WEP has been superseded by other technologies, it remains a common feature of both business and consumer wireless devices and had a large impact on the development of later wireless authentication standards.
WPA Authentication:
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a security standard for users of computing devices equipped with wireless internet connections. WPA was developed by the Wi-Fi alliance to provide more sophisticated data encryption and better user authentication than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), the original Wi-Fi security standard. The new standard, which was ratified by the IEEE in 2004 as 802.11i, was designed to be backward-compatible with WEP to encourage quick, easy adoption. Network security professionals were able to support WPA on many WEP-based devices with a simple firmware update.
Coming Up:
Cracking WEP and WPA/WPA2 using Aircrack Suit
0 Comments