User's Manual

Chapter 10: Mesh Radio Configuration
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10.3 Encryption
The mesh radio link can be protected with an encryption key to prevent unauthorized users
from intercepting or spoofing mesh traffic. Each EnRoute500 in a mesh neighborhood must
have the same mesh radio encryption key.
CLI
To enable encryption, set the ‘key’ parameter in the ‘mesh0’ interface. The examples below
illustrate how to set the encryption key. The ‘key’ parameter can either be specified as a 16-
character ASCII string preceded by “s:” or a 32-character hexadecimal string.
Encryption can be enabled using an ASCII key with
> use mesh0
mesh0> set key=”s:abcdefghijklmnop”
or using a hexadecimal key with
> use mesh0
mesh0> set key=”0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef”
Encryption can be disabled by specifying a blank value as shown below.
> use mesh0
mesh0> set key=
Web GUI
The mesh radio encryption key can be set via the web interface using the “Mesh” tab on the
“Wireless Interfaces” page (see Figure 39). The same encryption key must be entered in both
the “Mesh Key” and “Verify Mesh Key” text boxes for the new key to be accepted.
Only ASCII keys can be entered using the web interface. Unlike the CLI, an
ASCII key should not be preceded by “s:” when entered via the web GUI.
10.4 Transmit Power Cap
The maximum transmit power cap of the mesh radio is configurable. Increased output power
will improve communication range, but will also extend the interference range of the radios. It
is suggested that the transmit power cap is initially set to the maximum level for an installation
and is then reduced if it is determined that the transmit power far exceeds the level required to
maintain links. It is also recommended that a common transmit power cap value is used for all