Can I Encrypt WiFi Signal Transferring From WiFi Card To Router?

Question

I heard that WiFi signals are not encrypted and can be read. Is there possibility to encrypt signal with software or hardware? I mean if WiFi card could encrypt outgoing signal and decrypt incoming signal it would work? Does that mean router also must do same thing to talk and understand WiFi card?

UPDATE: People what does WPA/WEP has to do with my question? I am not talking about protecting access points, i am talking about protecting data which travels through Wi-Fi signal against packet sniffing.

Answer 1

Turn on WPA2 encryption at the router. If your router and PC don't both support WPA2, use WPA. If they don't both support WPA, use WEP and save for a new router.

Edit: WPA2, WPA and WEP protocols encrypt the WiFi data transmitted in the WiFi signal between the WiFi card (in the PC) and the access-point or wireless-router.

If you need to also encrypt data as it travels along wires (Ethernet, DSL etc) you'll need to use encrypted application-level protocols (e.g HTTPS), or use something like SSH (perhaps as a tunnel), or use an encrypted VPN, or investigate IPV6 security.

Answer 2

There are a couple of standards for encryption. Most routers these days have encryption turned on by default.

The original encryption, WEP, is easy to crack and should be avoided at all cost.

WPA has replaced it, and comes in 2 type.

WPA1, the original, only works with 802.11g wireless (not the newer 802.11n) WPA2 works with 802.11n (150Mbps or 300Mbps dual channel) wireless.

Check your router's configuration to see that WPA or WPA2 is turned on.

This blog posting has some great information about securing your wireless connection: http://blog.superuser.com/2011/03/28/iron-cladding-your-wi-fi-network/