Also referred to as “WPA/WPA2 Security,” this refers to the type of encryption used to protect the data in a network. Don’t confuse WPA/WPA2 encryption with the older, weaker WEP security.
The WPA protocol implements much of the IEEE 802.11i standard, specifically, the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). WEP uses a 64-bit or 128-bit encryption key that is manually entered on wireless access points and devices and does not change; TKIP employs a per-packet key, meaning that it dynamically generates a new 128-bit key for each packet and thus prevents the types of attacks that compromised WEP. WPA also includes a message integrity check, which is designed to prevent an attacker from altering and resending data packets.
According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, most current routers have WPA2 encryption, but when purchasing it doesn’t hurt to check to ensure you have the most secure network possible.