User's Manual

Radio Interface
6-67
6
A summary of wireless security considerations is listed in the following table.
Note: You must enable data encryption through the web or CLI in order to enable all
types of encryption (WEP, TKIP, or AES) in the access point.
Table 6-2. Wireless Security Considerations
Security
Mechanism
Client Support Implementation Considerations
WEP Built-in support on all 802.11a
and 802.11g devices
• Provides only weak security
• Requires manual key management
WEP over 802.1X Requires 802.1X client support
in system or by add-in software
(support provided in Windows
2000 SP3 or later and Windows
XP)
• Provides dynamic key rotation for improved WEP
security
• Requires configured RADIUS server
• 802.1X EAP type may require management of
digital certificates for clients and server
MAC Address
Filtering
Uses the MAC address of client
network card
• Provides only weak user authentication
• Management of authorized MAC addresses
• Can be combined with other methods for improved
security
• Optionally configured RADIUS server
WPA over 802.1X
Mode
Requires WPA-enabled system
and network card driver
(native support provided in
Windows XP)
• Provides robust security in WPA-only mode
(i.e., WPA clients only)
• Offers support for legacy WEP clients, but with
increased security risk (i.e., WEP authentication
keys disabled)
• Requires configured RADIUS server
• 802.1X EAP type may require management of
digital certificates for clients and server
WPA PSK Mode Requires WPA-enabled system
and network card driver
(native support provided in
Windows XP)
• Provides good security in small networks
• Requires manual management of pre-shared key
WPA2 with 802.1X Requires WPA-enabled system
and network card driver (native
support provided in Windows
XP)
• Provides the strongest security in WPA2-only
mode
• Provides robust security in mixed mode for WPA
and WPA2 clients
• Offers fast roaming for time-sensitive client
applications
• Requires configured RADIUS server
• 802.1X EAP type may require management of
digital certificates for clients and server
• Clients may require hardware upgrade to be WPA2
compliant
WPA2 PSK Mode Requires WPA-enabled system
and network card driver (native
support provided in Windows
XP)
• Provides robust security in small networks
• Requires manual management of pre-shared key
• Clients may require hardware upgrade to be WPA2
compliant