How to Check Wi-Fi Security Type on Mac

Most private Wi-Fi networks use some type of security to prevent unauthorized users from joining and seeing network traffic. There are four main types of Wi-Fi security, each ensuring that no one can access a private network without a password. But does security type really matter?

As it turns out, yes, the security protocol a Wi-Fi network uses is important, not only for protecting you but also for determining how you’ll join the network. In this article, I’ll explain the differences between Wi-Fi security types and show you how to check Wi-Fi security types on a Mac.

Before we begin:

Protect yourself and your data online by shielding your web traffic from the sites you visit and even your ISP. With MacKeeper’s VPN Private Connect, you can browse the internet anonymously and securely without fear that your activities are being monitored, even on public networks. Try this:

1. Download MacKeeper and install it.
2. When MacKeeper opens, select VPN Private Connect in the sidebar.
3. Click Open, then click Turn On.
4. Wait for VPN Private Connect to activate.

What is Wi-Fi security type?

There are four types of Wi-Fi security in use today: WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3. The newer the protocol, the greater its level of security. For instance, while WPA2 offers AES encryption, WPA3 makes it even stronger and adds additional protection.

A hint from our team: 

It’s important to know the Wi-Fi security type on your Mac so that you can make informed decisions about how to protect your computer. For instance, if you have weak security Wi-Fi on a Mac, I recommend not logging into websites or using a VPN to protect your traffic.

Let’s look at those protocols in more detail.

1. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

Introduced way back in 1997, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) was the first Wi-Fi security protocol. It was designed to encrypt data sent back and forth between a WiFi router and a connected device. This ensured that systems not connected to the network would be unable to view the traffic.

WEP’s key focus was to prevent “man-in-the-middle” (MITM) attacks, which is when an attacker intercepts and steals sensitive information as it is transported. The protocol uses 64- or 128-bit encryption that relies on a single static key—the one used to access the Wi-Fi network itself.

Although it was successful initially, flaws were later discovered in the WEP protocol that bad actors could take advantage of. As a result, this system was officially retired in 2004, and it’s rare that you’ll come across a Wi-Fi network still using WEP today, although it still exists.

2. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which launched in 2003, was seen as a big upgrade over WEP. It took a somewhat similar approach but with stronger 256-bit encryption. More importantly, WPA introduced the temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP), which dynamically changes the keys used to decrypt data.

TKIP made it so that attackers couldn’t create an encryption key that matched the one securing a network, as they could with WEP. This technology was combined with message integrity checks, which made it possible to recognize when data packets were captured or interfered with.

WPA also introduced greater flexibility over WiFi passwords and PINs. Unlike WEP, which used either 5-letter phrases or 10-digit codes, WPA and its successors allow passphrases between 8 and 63 characters. So, if your Mac won’t connect to Wi-Fi when using WPA, check if the password is long enough.

3. Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

WPA2, introduced just a year after WPA in 2004, is an upgraded version of the original Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol based on the robust security network (RSN) system. One of its biggest highlights is that WPA2 gives users two security modes to choose from:

• WPA2-PSK (Pre-shared Key): Relies on shared passwords and passcodes, like earlier protocols, and is mostly designed for home or personal network setups.
• WPA2-EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol): Aimed at enterprises and organizations that use the RADIUS framework for synchronizing access keys.

Both modes use AES encryption to protect wireless traffic and the CCMP mechanism—a more robust and reliable upgrade to the TKIP mechanism used by WPA. However, both still allow access codes to be saved, so you can make Wi-Fi automatically connect on your Mac.

4. Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3)

WPA3 is the most recent Wi-Fi security type. Introduced in 2018, it offers stronger and more advanced protections for both personal and enterprise use, including enhanced GCMP-256 encryption instead of the 128-bit protocol used in the past and a secure handshake system upon device connection.

WPA3 devices started rolling out in 2019, and all are backward compatible with WPA2, ensuring modern hardware can still join networks that are yet to be upgraded. Despite its increased protection, I always advise users to take extra precautions when online.

Important: 

WPA3 can’t protect you from malicious websites or nosey ISPs, so a VPN is still a must for the best possible security. MacKeeper’s VPN Private Connect gives you control over your privacy by hiding all your browsing traffic on MacBook so that it can’t be seen by anyone.

Here’s how to use it:

1. In MacKeeper, select Private Connect, then click Open.
2. Check your VPN server location and change it if necessary, then click Turn On.
3. Once the VPN is active, all your online traffic is hidden and safe.

How to find Wi-Fi security type on Mac

Need to know what kind of network you’re connected to? Follow these simple steps to see Wi-Fi security type on Mac:

1. Hold the Option key while clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar.
2. Under your network name, look for Security, which shows the protocol type.

It’s also easy to find a Wi-Fi password on a Mac. In modern macOS versions, you only need to visit the Wi-Fi section in System Settings, click the options icon next to a known network, select Copy Password, and paste it somewhere safe to see it.

Conclusion

Now that you know the different types of Wi-Fi security, you’ll better understand how safe you are when using various wireless networks at home, in the office, or in public places. On Mac, it’s easy to find more information about your current network in just a few clicks, as I outlined above.

To protect your data and privacy while online, I highly recommend combining good Wi-Fi security with MacKeeper’s VPN Private Connect. It hides and encrypts all your browsing data so that it can’t be seen by anyone else and prevents trackers from following you around the web.