WPA and WPA2 profiles

The WPA and WPA2 profiles (WiFi Protected Access) connected with securities are recommended by the Wi-Fi Alliance. That standards define security level offered by certificated hardware of Wi-Fi Alliance. Such a profiles form in order to promote more secure solutions than WEP.

The first WPA profile version, introduced in april 2003, has defined necessity of use the TKIP and 802.1X/EAP protocol. The WPA profile has two modes:

• WPA Enterprise Mode – used of the RADIUS server to authentication;
• WPA Personal – also known as the PSK mode (Pre-Shared Key Mode), where are used shared keys, handy spreaded.

Sometimes change of software is enough for device to support the WPA (driver in case of network card, and firmare in case of access point).

The WPA2 profile is identical with the IEEE 802.11i, that is from practice side introduce the CCMP protocol, what is more, the WPA2 profile is compatible by backward way with the WPA. The certification of the compatible to WPA2 has started in September 2004. WPA2 also leades two additional extensions of WPA connected with support for fast roaming (so-called fast roaming). First is a possibility of re-use the PMK key gathered in the locker in order to avoid new authenticating. The second: functionality is so-called preauthentication, where client can be authenticated before access point in before connects to it. New extensions enable connecting to AP in time below 100 ms what at least is 10-tuple faster than in the traditional association.

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