Netgear Router WGR614 V5 User Manual

Wireless Networking Basics D-1
June 2004 202-10036-01
Appendix D
Wireless Networking Basics
Wireless Networking Overview
The WGR614 v5 router conforms to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 
802.11g standard for wireless LANs (WLANs). On an 802.11 wireless link, data is encoded using 
direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DSSS) technology and is transmitted in the unlicensed radio 
spectrum at 2.5GHz. The maximum data rate for the 802.11g wireless link is 54 Mbps, but it will...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
D-2 Wireless Networking Basics
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Ad Hoc Mode (Peer-to-Peer Workgroup)
In an ad hoc network, computers are brought together as needed; thus, there is no structure or fixed 
points to the network - each node can generally communicate with any other node. There is no 
access point involved in this configuration. This mode enables you to quickly set up a small 
wireless workgroup and allows workgroup members to exchange data or...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
Wireless Networking Basics D-3
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The radio frequency channels used are listed in Ta b l e  D - 1:
Note: The available channels supported by the wireless products in various countries are different.
The preferred channel separation between the channels in neighboring wireless networks is 25 
MHz (5 channels). This means that you can apply up to three different channels within your 
wireless network. There are only 11 usable...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
D-4 Wireless Networking Basics
June 2004 202-10036-01
WEP Wireless Security
The absence of a physical connection between nodes makes the wireless links vulnerable to 
eavesdropping and information theft. To provide a certain level of security, the IEEE 802.11 
standard has defined two types of authentication methods, Open System and Shared Key. With 
Open System authentication, a wireless computer can join any network and receive any messages...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
Wireless Networking Basics D-5
June 2004 202-10036-01
• Shared Key Authentication requires that the station and the access point have the same WEP 
Key to authenticate. These two authentication procedures are described below.
WEP Open System Authentication
This process is illustrated in below.
Figure D-1:  802.11 open system authentication
The following steps occur when two devices use Open System Authentication:
1.The station sends an...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
D-6 Wireless Networking Basics
June 2004 202-10036-01
WEP Shared Key Authentication
This process is illustrated in below.
Figure D-2:  802.11 shared key authentication
The following steps occur when two devices use Shared Key Authentication:
1.The station sends an authentication request to the access point.
2.The access point sends challenge text to the station.
3.The station uses its configured 64-bit or 128-bit default key to encrypt the...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
Wireless Networking Basics D-7
June 2004 202-10036-01
Key Size and Configuration
The IEEE 802.11 standard supports two types of WEP encryption: 40-bit and 128-bit.
The 64-bit WEP data encryption method, allows for a five-character (40-bit) input. Additionally, 
24 factory-set bits are added to the forty-bit input to generate a 64-bit encryption key. (The 24 
factory-set bits are not user-configurable). This encryption key will be used to...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
D-8 Wireless Networking Basics
June 2004 202-10036-01
How to Use WEP Parameters
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption is used when the wireless devices are configured 
to operate in Shared Key authentication mode. There are two shared key methods implemented in 
most commercially available products, 64-bit and 128-bit WEP data encryption.
Before enabling WEP on an 802.11 network, you must first consider what type of encryption you...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
Wireless Networking Basics D-9
June 2004 202-10036-01
• Enhanced data privacy
• Robust key management
• Data origin authentication
• Data integrity protection 
The Wi-Fi Alliance is now performing interoperability certification testing on Wi-Fi Protected 
Access products. Starting August of 2003, all new Wi-Fi certified products will have to support 
WPA. NETGEAR will implement WPA on client and access point products and make this 
available in...

Reference Manual for the 54 Mbps Wireless Router WGR614 v5
D-10 Wireless Networking Basics
June 2004 202-10036-01
How Does WPA Compare to IEEE 802.11i? 
WPA will be forward compatible with the IEEE 802.11i security specification currently under 
development. WPA is a subset of the current 802.11i draft and uses certain pieces of the 802.11i 
draft that are ready to bring to market today, such as 802.1x and TKIP. The main pieces of the 
802.11i draft that are not included in WPA are secure IBSS (Ad-Hoc...