Cisco WAP571 Administration Manual page 90

Wireless
Networks
Cisco WAP571/E Administration Guide
Just because a client station is allowed to associate does not ensure it
NOTE
can exchange traffic with an WAP device. A station must have the correct WEP
key to be able to successfully access and decrypt data from the WAP device,
and to transmit readable data to the WAP device.
- Shared Key authentication requires the client station to have the correct
WEP key in order to associate with the WAP device. When the
authentication algorithm is set to Shared Key, a station with an incorrect
WEP key cannot associate with the WAP device.
- Both Open System and Shared Key. When you select both
authentication algorithms, client stations configured to use WEP in
shared key mode must have a valid WEP key in order to associate with
the WAP device. Also, client stations configured to use WEP as an open
system (shared key mode not enabled) can associate with the WAP
device even if they do not have the correct WEP key.
Static WEP Rules
If you use Static WEP, these rules apply:
• All client stations must have the Wireless LAN (WLAN) security set to WEP,
and all clients must have one of the WEP keys specified on the WAP device
in order to decode AP-to-station data transmissions.
• The WAP device must have all keys used by clients for station-to-AP
transmit so that it can decode the station transmissions.
• The same key must occupy the same slot on all nodes (AP and clients). For
example, if the WAP device defines abc123 key as WEP key 3, then the
client stations must define that same string as WEP key 3.
• Client stations can use different keys to transmit data to the access point.
(Or they can all use the same key, but using the same key is less secure
because it means one station can decrypt the data being sent by another.)
• On some wireless client software, you can configure multiple WEP keys and
define a client station transfer key index, and then set the stations to encrypt
the data they transmit using different keys. This ensures that neighboring
access points cannot decode other access point transmissions.
• You cannot mix 64-bit and 128-bit WEP keys between the access point and
its client stations.
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