Security (Mode) - Cisco Small Business AP541N Administration Manual

4
Wireless
Modifying Virtual Access Point Settings
After you configure the VAP settings, you must click Apply to apply the changes
NOTE
and to save the settings. Changing some settings might cause the access point to
stop and restart system processes. If this happens, wireless clients temporarily
lose connectivity. We recommend that you change access point settings when
WLAN traffic is low.

Security (Mode)

The Security mode you set here is specifically for this VAP.
When the page initially loads, any VAP that has a security mode other than None
will have a Show details link below the Security selection box. Click the Show
details link to show the current security settings. When showing the current
security settings, the link changes to Hide details. Click Hide details to collapse
the current security settings.
None (Plain-text)
If you select None as your security mode, no other options are configurable on the
access point. This mode means that any data transferred to and from the access
point 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. 1 1 wireless
networks. All wireless stations and access point on the network are configured
s
with a static 64-bit (40-bit secret key + 24-bit initialization vector (IV)) or 128-bit
(104-bit secret key + 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.)
58 Cisco AP541N Dual-band Single-radio Access Point Quick Start Guide