SkyPilot SkyExtender DualBand Installation and Setup Guide
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W L A N C o n f i g u r a t i o n T y p e s
The appendix describes the two WLAN configuration types: open (unprotected)
configuration and Wi-Fi protected access (WPA).
Open configuration
An open configuration allows anyone with Wi
-
Fi capability to connect to the
wireless network via the SkyExtender DualBand access point.
An open configuration doesn’t include any mechanism for authenticating users
at the network layer. However, you can provide authentication at the application
layer through a
captive portal
mechanism operating outside the wireless mesh
network. A captive portal forces all HTTP traffic from an unauthenticated user to a
login Web page and blocks the traffic until the user successfully logs in to the
Web page. (See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_portal
for more information
on captive portals.)
NOTE
The configuration of a captive portal for an open WLAN depends on
third-party solutions and is outside the scope of this document.
The advantage of an open network configuration is that it makes it very easy for
users to connect to the WLAN.
Among the disadvantages of open access are security concerns, since a lack of
encryption other than SSL/TLS (available only during login) makes the network
vulnerable to unauthorized access and denial-of-service attacks. Additionally,
users must start each session from a Web browser before they can use other
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