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A
hardware tech site for the rest of us.
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The encryption menu is under the next tab. Wireless technology has shortcomings like everything else but it has one BIG one that that other network adapters do not. That is security. Radio communication goes out in all directions. It isn’t “beamed” from point A to point B as the crow flies. Now the chances of someone parking outside your house with a laptop or your next door neighbor “eavesdropping" into your network are slim but this is a possibility. You can select either no encryption, 64 bit encryption, or 128 bit encryption.
Encryption technology is so good that even though 64 and 128 bit encryption is breakable; the resources and time it would take to do so make it not worth the effort. Sort of like saying everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. The encryption keys can be generated manually or by a password that automatically generates numeric keys. These keys are static. Actiontec is working on developing technology that would make these keys dynamic so if a pass key is discovered, it wouldn’t be good for very long as that the network will change the key automatically for all users authorized to that network. Pretty cool but that is down the road. Performance To test the device we used SiSoft Sandra Network/Bandwidth Benchmark to measure out transfer rates. Unfortunately we did not have access to a laptop computer to test out the outer edges of the range but we did record readings at 5 feet, 40 feet, and 72 feet (1.5, 12.2, and 22 meters.) All of these readings were done in doors. Again the rated range is 100 ft in doors and 300 ft out of doors. This should show us how the signal degrades with walls, televisions, radios and other items that should disrupt the signal as the distances increase. Test Bed(s)
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