3e–525C–3 Wireless Access Point
Glossary
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A Network ID unique to a network. Only clients and access points that share the same
SSID are able to communicate with each other. This string is case-sensitive. Wireless LANs
offer several security options, but increasing the security also means increasing the time
spent managing the system. Encryption is the key. The biggest threat is from intruders
coming into the LAN. You set a seven-digit alphanumeric security code, called an SSID, in
each wireless device and they thereafter operate as a group.
TKIP
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol. TKIP is a protocol used in WPA. It scrambles the keys
using a hashing algorithm and, by adding an integrity-checking feature, ensures that the
keys haven’t been tampered with.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A VPN uses encryption and other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized us-
ers can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.
WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network)
A type of local-area network that uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to
communicate between nodes.
WPA
WPA stands for WiFi Protected Access. It’s an interim standard developed by the WiFi
Alliance pending full ratification of the 802.11i standard, to protect the wired band and
improve upon the old WEP encryption standard.
