Imagine your favorite show buffering at the worst possible moment—or worse yet, someone snooping on your private info right as you’re finalizing that online purchase. That’s where WPA3 steps in: it’s the newest evolution in WiFi security, built to slam the door on cybercriminals and keep your network’s data locked down.
WPA3 Encryption is the latest WiFi internet security protocol designed to safeguard your WiFi network. Here, we learn about security encryption and the best routers for supporting the new technology.
If you’re serious about protecting everything from family movie night to your home-based business, WPA3 is your new best friend. Below, we’ll walk through the ins and outs of WPA3 encryption and highlight the best routers that already support this next-level protection.
IN THIS ARTICLE
WPA3 is the current generation of WiFi security for keeping private and public network data safe from hackers and cybercrime. The WiFi Alliance announced this new security protocol in 2018, and since 2020 it’s been mandatory for all routers carrying the WiFi Certified label to include WPA3 support.
WPA stands for WiFi Protected Access, a robust series of security protocols designed to safeguard WiFi network traffic. When you connect to a WiFi network and type in a password, WPA governs and protects the connection between your devices and your router. As WiFi home networks continue to grow, so does the importance of strong WPA security with encryption to protect your sensitive information and WiFi access points from cybercrime.
If you haven’t updated your router in a few years, your home network likely uses WPA2, the previous version of the protocol introduced in 2004. WPA2 Enterprise was a big improvement on its predecessors, WEP and WPA, but WPA3 is a quantum leap into the future of secure home WiFi networking.
WPA2 has serious weaknesses that may allow attackers to read and capture sensitive data that users believe to be encrypted, such as passwords, credit card numbers, etc. Vulnerabilities like brute-force attacks and key KRACK reinstallation attacks are ongoing threats to WPA2 encryption, even with protected management frames in place.
WPA3 is an advanced encryption standard that improves WiFi security with more robust authentication algorithms and improved protection for open networks. WPA3 security is ideal for American homes with multiple wired and wireless connections and IoT devices. WPA3 replaces the WPA2 Pre-Shared Key (PSK) with Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) to avoid key reinstallation KRACK attacks.
The timing couldn’t have been better for the WiFi Alliance in 2023 to introduce WiFi 7 to consumers. For example, NETGEAR Nighthawk Routers and Orbi Whole-Home Mesh Systems pair perfectly with WPA3 security protocols and authentication methods to safely navigate information for up to 200 concurrent client devices at multi-gigabit speeds. You can set up separate home networks, guest networks, and IoT networks for total peace of mind with opportunistic wireless encryption for the next level of wireless security.
WPA3 comes in multiple connection types to meet various usage and security needs. These include WPA3-Personal for personal home networks, WPA3-Enterprise for enterprise businesses, and WiFi Enhanced Open for public WiFi connections. Key features of WPA3 encryption include:
Every new WiFi security standard offers enhancements to improve the online experience and device support. WPA3 encrypted security pairs best with WiFi 7 routers and mesh systems that offer blazing-fast speeds and whole-home connectivity. WPA3 also enjoys backward compatibility with WiFi 6 routers, allowing your older WPA2 devices to connect.
NETGEAR’s premium routers integrate WPA3 encryption keys for home security. NETGEAR WiFi 7 models such as the Nighthawk RS700S Router and Orbi 973 Mesh Systems also include optional advanced NETGEAR Armor security, VPN, and automatic security updates for your entire WiFi network.
WPA3 is the latest WiFi security protocol designed to enhance network encryption, prevent cyberattacks, and provide safer connections for modern devices.
WPA3 offers stronger encryption, better protection against brute-force attacks, and more secure home WiFi and public WiFi connections compared to WPA2.
Many WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 routers, including NETGEAR Nighthawk and Orbi models, support WPA3. Some older models may need a firmware update, but in many cases may not have the hardware capabilities to support WPA3.
You can enable WPA3 in your router’s settings via the NETGEAR Nighthawk app or web interface. Check this guide for step-by-step instructions.
Yes! WPA3 helps protect IoT devices and network functionality by ensuring stronger encryption and secure authentication across your network. Note that the IoT device and Router must both support WPA3 in order to use the strongest WiFi security protocol.
