What is security?

 

Security choices

No Security
WEP Encryption
WPA/WPA2-Personal
WPA/WPA2-Enterprise

Choose the security method for your wireless printer. The method you specify must match the method used on your wireless network. There are four choices:

Select No Security if your wireless network does not require device authentication or security (for example, using no security, or using shared WEP keys for encryption only) to access the network.

Select WEP Encryption if each device on your wireless network uses a shared key (that is, a shared "password" value) for network access. Each device on the network must use the same key.

The HP Jetdirect print server supports IEEE 802.11 Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) keys for security and/or encrypted network communications. If you select WEP Encryption, you will configure WEP keys for your wireless printer on the next screen.

Select WPA/WPA2-Personal security if your network uses Wi-Fi Protected Access using a pre-shared key typically generated by a pass-phrase. WPA encryption is used for wireless communication and offers improved security.

Note: Server-based security options such as WPA/WPA-2 are not available on all products.

Select WPA/WPA-2 Enterprise security if your network uses Wi-Fi Protected Access with EAP/802.1x authentication. This type of security utilizes a central authentication server, such as RADIUS, to authenticate users on the network.

For WPA/WPA2-Enterprise, the HP Jetdirect print server supports a variety of server-based authentication protocols:

If you select WPA/WPA-2 Enterprise, you will choose one or more of the protocols on the next screen. The Help page for that screen has more information about these protocols.

Note: 802.1x authentication is not compatible with Ad Hoc wireless communication mode. If you select this security method, the wireless communication mode will be set to Infrastructure.

When you have selected your security method, click Next to continue.
 

What is security?
Security and encryption are two different approaches to network security. Security verifies the identity of a user or device before granting access to the network, making it more difficult for unauthorized users to get at network resources. Encryption encodes the data being sent across the network, making the data unintelligible to eavesdroppers. Both of these methods are common on wireless networks, as it is relatively easy for eavesdroppers to monitor a wireless network's transmissions.

A network with No Security (Open System) does not screen network users based on their identities. Such a network may use WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption to provide a first level of security against casual eavesdroppers.

A network using WEP Encryption provides increased security by requiring users or devices to identify themselves with a static key (password). This key is shared by all users of the network -- that is, every user or device uses the same key. WEP encryption is used along with shared key authentication, using the same key for both authentication and encryption.

A network using WPA/WPA2-Personal uses Wi-Fi Protected Access to provide increased security by requiring users or devices to identify themselves with a pre-shared key. This key is typically generated by a pass-phrase.

WPA/WPA-2 Enterprise provides significantly stronger security, and is commonly used in enterprise-level networks. A dedicated server verifies the identity of a user or device requesting access to the network before granting that access. Several different protocols are available for use on authentication servers, and a network may have more than one protocol in use. The HP Jetdirect wireless print servers support several different server-based protocols.


For more information:

Printing an HP Jetdirect test page

Glossary of Network Printing Terms