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AirPort 3.3 Extends WPA Security

Posted by pudge on from the bring-it-on dept.

tackaberry writes "Apple has released an update for AirPort. Version 3.3 (AEBS firmware version 5.3) includes support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) specification for non-Extreme AirPort cards (WPA was added for Extreme cards last fall in version 3.2), an alternative to the oft-maligned Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). Those who wish to use WPA will have to have Mac OS X Panther 10.3."

1 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. WPA goodness by nsayer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm quite happy with WPA-PSK (with the caveat that you need to pick a very strong passphrase to avoid offline dictionary attacks). My wife has an iBook G4 and I have a TiBook with a Linksys WPC54G in it and they all talk to a Linksys WAP54G. It was all miraculously easy.

    Then I had to get a couple of Windows laptops to work. That was misery!

    First, you must be running XP. I guess that's fair, since Apple says you must be running Panther.

    Next, you have to have a wireless card that has drivers updated with WPA support. Irritatingly enough, a WPC54G with the latest drivers will work, but a WPC55G (A+G card) won't because the drivers aren't updated. Grr!

    I did finally get it to go, but it was a whole lot easier on the Mac.

    I also wanted to set up WPA "Enterprise" with an eye towards deploying that at the office. I still haven't figured out how to get that to work, unfortunately. But the PSK variety was surprisingly easy.