What You Need To Know - ZyXEL Communications NR2101 User Manual

7.1.2 What You Need to Know

Every wireless network must follow these basic guidelines.
• Every wireless client in the same wireless network must use the same SSID.
The SSID is the name of the wireless network. It stands for Service Set IDentity.
• If two wireless networks overlap, they should use different channels.
Like radio stations or television channels, each wireless network uses a specific channel, or frequency,
to send and receive information.
• Every wireless client in the same wireless network must use security compatible with the AP.
Security stops unauthorized devices from using the wireless network. It can also protect the
information that is sent in the wireless network.
Wireless Security Overview
The following sections introduce different types of wireless security you can set up in the wireless
network.
SSID
Normally, the AP acts like a beacon and regularly broadcasts the SSID in the area. You can hide the
SSID instead, in which case the AP does not broadcast the SSID. In addition, you should change the
default SSID to something that is difficult to guess.
This type of security is fairly weak, however, because there are ways for unauthorized devices to get the
SSID. In addition, unauthorized devices can still see the information that is sent in the wireless network.
MAC Address Filter
Every wireless client has a unique identification number, called a MAC address.
usually written using twelve hexadecimal characters
To get the MAC address for each wireless client, see the appropriate User's Guide or other
documentation.
You can use the MAC address filter to tell the AP which wireless clients are allowed or not allowed to use
the wireless network. If a wireless client is allowed to use the wireless network, it still has to have the
correct settings (SSID, channel, and security). If a wireless client is not allowed to use the wireless
network, it does not matter if it has the correct settings.
This type of security does not protect the information that is sent in the wireless network. Furthermore,
there are ways for unauthorized devices to get the MAC address of an authorized wireless client. Then,
they can use that MAC address to use the wireless network.
WPS
WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) is an industry standard specification, defined by the WiFi Alliance. WPS
allows you to quickly set up a wireless network with strong security, without having to configure security
1. Some wireless devices, such as scanners, can detect wireless networks but cannot use wireless networks. These
kinds of wireless devices might not have MAC addresses.
2. Hexadecimal characters are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, and F.
Chapter 7 WLAN & WWAN
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; for example, 00A0C5000002 or 00:A0:C5:00:00:02.
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A MAC address is