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3.2.2 IEEE 802.1x
The IEEE 802.1x standard outlines enhanced security methods for both the authentication of
wireless stations and encryption key management. Authentication can be done using an external
RADIUS server.
3.2.2.1 EAP Authentication
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an authentication protocol which runs on the top of
IEEE 802.1x transport mechanism in order to support multiple types of user authentication. By
using EAP to interact with an EAP-compatible RADIUS server, an Access Point helps a wireless
station and a RADIUS server perform authentication.
The type of authentication you use depends on the RADIUS server and an intermediary AP that
supports IEEE 802.1X. You must first have a wired connection to the network and obtain the
certificate from a certificate authority (CA). A certificate can be used to authenticate users and a
CA issues certificates and guarantees the identity of each certificate owner.
3.2.3 WPA (2)
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a subset of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 is a wireless
security standard that defines stronger encryption, authentication and key management than
WPA.
WPA:
Allows you to gain access to a more secured wireless network that requires mutual
authentication between client and access point with a Radius authentication server or other
authentication server on the network. WPA uses 802.1X and Extensible Authentication Protocol
(EAP) for authentication. WPA offers Enterprise and individual needs to meet the different market
segments. This product supports various EAP types (TLS and PEAP), which require different
credential authentication. In order to access the wireless network, you must select EAP type your
service provider supplied in the section of
IEEE802.11X Authentication
. Choose WPA2 if
needed from Authentication Mode.
