What is wireless network security?

Wireless network security usually refers to the type of encryption used to protect communication on a wireless network. There are several types including WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), WPA (Wireless Protected Access), and WPA 2. These protocols all work using what's called a pre-shared key.

WEP uses either a 40 or 104-bit protection key, usually specified as a series of hexidecimal digits. WEP is weak and easily cracked and is generally not recommend.

WPA 1 and 2 both use a pre-shared key like WEP, but the key doesn't have the restrictions of WEP. It can be an arbitrary length and contain virtually any ASCII characters. The longer the password the better.

Enterprise wireless solutions also provide a variety of other options including RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) authentication, which requires the user to authenticate to a RADIUS server before the network connection be successfully established. This solution often requires a robust authentication service such as Microsoft Active Directory.