NETGEAR WG102 - ProSafe Wireless Access Point Reference Manual page 109

Reference Manual for the NETGEAR ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point WG102
Wi-Fi Protected Access for Home/SOHO
In a home or Small Office/ Home Office (SOHO) environment, where there are no central authentication
servers or EAP framework, Wi-Fi Protected Access runs in a special home mode. This mode, also called
Pre-Shared Key (PSK), allows the use of manually-entered keys or passwords and is designed to be easy to
set up for the home user. All the home user needs to do is enter a password (also called a master key) in their
access point or home wireless gateway and each PC that is on the Wi-Fi wireless network. Wi-Fi Protected
Access takes over automatically from that point. First, the password allows only devices with a matching
password to join the network, which keeps out eavesdroppers and other unauthorized users. Second, the
password automatically kicks off the TKIP encryption process, described above.
Wi-Fi Protected Access for Public Access
The intrinsic encryption and authentication schemes defined in Wi-Fi Protected Access may also prove
useful for Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) offering Wi-Fi public access in hot spots where
secure transmission and authentication is particularly important to users unknown to each other. The
authentication capability defined in the specification enables a secure access control mechanism for the
service providers and for mobile users not utilizing VPN connections.
Wi-Fi Protected Access in Mixed Mode Deployment
In a large network with many clients, a likely scenario is that access points will be upgraded before all the
Wi-Fi clients. Some access points may operate in a mixed mode, which supports both clients running Wi-Fi
Protected Access and clients running original WEP security. While useful for transition, the net effect of
supporting both types of client devices is that security will operate at the less secure level (WEP), common
to all the devices. Therefore, organizations will benefit by accelerating the move to Wi-Fi Protected Access
for all Wi-Fi clients and access points.
WiMAX
An IEEE 802.16 Task Group that provides a specification for fixed broadband wireless access systems
employing a point-to-multipoint (PMP) architecture. Task Group 1 of IEEE 802.16 developed a
point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access standard for systems in the frequency range 10-66 GHz. The
standard covers both the Media Access Control (MAC) and the physical (PHY) layers. Ratification is
expected in second half of 2004.
Wireless Multimedia (WMM)
WMM (Wireless Multimedia) is a subset of the 802.11e standard. WMM allows wireless traffic to have a
range of priorities, depending on the kind of data. Time-dependent information, like video, audio, or voice
will have a higher priority than normal traffic. For WMM to function correctly, wireless clients must also
support WMM.
Wireless Networking
Wireless Networking refers to the infrastructure enabling the transmission of wireless signals. A network
ties things together and enables resource sharing.
Glossary
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November 2005