User's Manual

5-14

Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN Client Adapters (CB21AG and PI21AG) Installation and Configuration Guide

OL-4211-05

Chapter 5 Configuring the Client Adapter

Setting Security Parameters

The Profile Management (Security) window (see Figure 5-4) enables you to set parameters that control

how the client adapter associates to an access point, authenticates to the wireless network, and encrypts

and decrypts data. To access this window, click the Security tab from any Profile Management window.

Figure 5-4 Profile Management (Security) Window

This window is different from the other Profile Management windows in that it includes many security

features, each of which involves a number of steps. In addition, the security features themselves are

complex and need to be understood before they are implemented. Therefore, this section provides an

overview of the security features as well as procedures for enabling them.

Note If your system administrator used an administrative tool to lock this profile, the Profile Locked check

box is checked. Locked profiles cannot be modified (with the exception of password fields), written over,

or removed.

Overview of Security Features

You can protect your data as it is transmitted through your wireless network by encrypting it through the

use of wired equivalent privacy (WEP) encryption keys. With WEP encryption, the transmitting device

encrypts each packet with a WEP key, and the receiving device uses that same key to decrypt each

packet.