Configuring Security Settings - Cisco WAP125 Administrator's Manual

Wireless

Configuring Security Settings

This section describes the security settings that can be configured on the WAP device on the Networks page.
There are three security settings options to choose from None, WPA Personal and WPA Enterprise.
None
If you select None as your security mode, no additional security settings need on the device. This mode means
that any data transferred to and from the WAP device is not encrypted. This security mode can be useful
during initial network configuration or for problem solving, but it is not recommended for regular use on the
internal network because it is not secure.
Static WEP
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a data encryption protocol for 802.11 wireless networks. All wireless
stations and access points on the network are configured with a static 64-bit (40- bit secret key plus 24-bit
initialization vector (IV)) or 128-bit (104-bit secret key plus 24-bit (IV) Shared Key for data encryption.
Static WEP is not the most secure mode available, but it offers more protection than setting the security mode
to None (Plain-text), as it does prevent an outsider from easily sniffing out unencrypted wireless traffic.
WEP encrypts data moving across the wireless network based on a static key. The encryption algorithm is a
stream cipher called RC4.
These parameters configure Static WEP:
• Transfer Key Index—Enter a key index list. Key indexes 1 through 4 are available. The default is 1.
• Key Length—Choose either 64 bits or 128 bits as the length of the key.
• Key Type—Choose either ASCII or Hex as the key type.
• WEP Keys—You can specify up to four WEP keys. In each text box, enter a string of characters for
• Use the same number of characters for each key as specified in the Characters Required field. These
• 802.1X Authentication—The authentication algorithm defines the method used to determine whether
• Specify the authentication algorithm that you want to use by choosing one of these options:
The Transfer Key Index indicates which WEP key the WAP device uses to encrypt the data it transmits.
each key. The keys you enter depend on the key type selected:
◦ASCII—Includes uppercase and lowercase alphabetic letters, the numeric digits, and special
symbols such as @ and #.
◦Hex—Includes digits 0 to 9 and the letters A to F.
are the RC4 WEP keys shared with the stations using the WAP device. Each client station must be
configured to use one of these same WEP keys in the same slot as specified on the WAP device.
a client station is allowed to associate with the WAP device when static WEP is the security mode.
◦ Open System allows any client station to associate with the WAP device whether that client station
has the correct WEP key or not. This algorithm is also used in plain text, IEEE 802.1X, and WPA
modes. When the authentication algorithm is set to Open System, any client can associate with the
WAP device.
Cisco WAP125 Wireless-AC/N Dual Band Desktop Access Point with PoE
Configuring Security Settings
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