AirPort Utility 6.x: Password-protect your wireless network

This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.
Password-protect your wireless network

To protect the communication on your wireless network, turn on data encryption on your AirPort Base Station or AirPort Time Capsule. Users who join your wireless network are asked to enter a password, or a user name and password.

  1. Open AirPort Utility, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder. Select the device you want to set up, then click Edit.
  2. Click Wireless, and then choose a security method from the Wireless Security pop-up menu.

    There are different types of passwords you can choose to protect your network, depending on the device you’re setting up and the capabilities of the client computers that will join your network:

    Option Description
    WEP (Transitional Security Network): Use this option if both WEP compatible and WPA/WPA2 compatible computers will join your network. Use a password of exactly 13 characters.
    WPA/WPA2 Personal: Choose this option to protect your network with Wi-Fi Protected Access. Choose Password and enter a password between 8 and 63 ASCII characters, or choose Pre-Shared Key and enter a password of exactly 64 hexadecimal characters. Wireless client computers using WPA or WPA2 can join the network.
    WPA2 Personal: Choose this option to protect your network with Wi-Fi Protected Access if only client computers using WPA2 will join the network.
    WPA/WPA2 Enterprise: Choose this option if you’re setting up a network that includes an authentication server, such as a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server. Enter the IP addresses and port numbers for the primary and secondary servers, and enter a “shared secret,” which is the password for the server. Use this option if wireless client computers using WPA and WPA2 will join your network.
    WPA2 Enterprise: Choose this option if you’re setting up a network that includes an authentication server and only client computers using WPA2 will join your network.
  3. Type the password all users will need to enter in order to join this wireless network.

If you choose None from the Wireless Security pop-up menu, your wireless network is accessible to anyone within range of the network.

Last Modified: Sep 3, 2015
Helpful?

Additional Product Support Information