Conclusions

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I have to say that the WPA-enabled performance I've seen so far, especially on older Intersil-based 11b clients, is much better than I expected it to be. I'm also surprised at the optional implementation of AES encryption by Broadcom, although the throughput loss when using the default WPA TKIP encryption might explain that choice.

The good news is that when it works, WPA is vastly more secure than WEP, and a hell of a lot easier to use, especially in the consumer-friendly Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK) mode. The bad is that if the present trend continues, many WLAN owners may have to abandon their older products and purchase all new stuff in order to enjoy the benefits of WPA.

For more info:

Wi-Fi Alliance's WPA website Wi-Fi Protected Access White Paper - Contains clear explanations of WPA's technical underpinnings (PDF) Wi-Fi Protected Access Media Presentation - Presentation with good background and overview of WPA (PDF)

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