What Is a WPA Group Rekey Interval?

Unsecured wireless Internet connections are vulnerable to eavesdropping. The Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol uses keys to ensure that communications over your home or office wireless network remain secure.

WPA uses pre-shared keys that authenticate a device to a protected network. These keys can take the form of a phrase or a string of alphanumeric characters. WPA checks the key for authenticity, then grants or denies the device access to the Wi-Fi network.

WPA automatically changes secret keys after a certain period of time. The group rekey interval is the period of time in between automatic changes of the group key, which all devices on the network share. WPA changes the group key so quickly that you won't even notice the process.

The WPA protocol uses rekeying to provide your network with increased security. Constantly rekeying the group key protects your network against intrusion, as the would-be intruder must cope with an ever-changing secret key. Older security standards like WEP do not possess this automatic rekey function, and are therefore less secure.