WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) are standards for encrypting data that is transmitted over WiFi networks to prevent eavesdropping.
- WEP security is an older authentication and data encryption mode. WEP uses an old encryption method and can be easily decoded with today’s powerful computers. You should only use WEP if you have very old legacy wireless clients that do not support WPA. The Wi-Fi Alliance highly recommends against using WEP.
- WPA security uses a much stronger encryption algorithm than WEP, making it harder to decode. WPA uses a passphrase to perform the authentication and generate the initial data encryption keys, then dynamically varies the encryption key. WPA security has improved with newer iterations. WPA2 was introduced in 2004, and WPA3 was introduced in 2018. WPA3 security is required to use WiFi 6E and newer standards.
For more information:
- How do I change the WiFi security protocol that my NETGEAR router uses?
- What is WPA3 security and how does it work with my NETGEAR router or Orbi mesh system?
Last Updated:07/07/2025
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Article ID: 20043