User Manual Part 2

Wi-Fi Array
244 Configuring the Wi-Fi Array
SSIDs are managed with the following windows:
 “SSID Management” on page 248
 “Active IAPs” on page 259
Understanding SSIDs
The SSID (Service Set Identifier) is a unique identifier that wireless networking
devices use to establish and maintain wireless connectivity. Multiple access points
on a network or sub-network can use the same SSIDs. SSIDs are case-sensitive
and can contain up to 32 alphanumeric characters (do not include spaces when
defining SSIDs).
Multiple SSIDs
A BSSID (Basic SSID) refers to an individual access point radio and its associated
clients. The identifier is the MAC address of the access point radio that forms the
BSS. A group of BSSs can be formed to allow stations in one BSS to communicate
to stations in another BSS via a backbone that interconnects each access point.
The Extended Service Set (ESS) refers to the group of BSSIDs that are grouped
together to form one ESS. The ESSID (often referred to as SSID or “wireless
network name”) identifies the Extended Service Set. Clients must associate to a
single ESS at any given time. Clients ignore traffic from other Extended Service
Sets that do not have the same SSID.
Legacy access points typically support one SSID per access point. Wi-Fi Arrays
support the ability to define and use multiple SSIDs simultaneously.
Using SSIDs
The creation of different wireless network names allows system administrators to
separate types of users with different requirements. The following policies can be
tied to an SSID:
 The wireless security mode needed to join this SSID.
 The wireless Quality of Service (QoS) desired for this SSID.
 The wired VLAN associated with this SSID.