Reference Manual for Cable/DSL Wireless Router WGR614
Authentication and WEP
The absence of a physical connection between nodes makes the wireless links vulnerable to eavesdropping and information theft. To provide a certain level of security, the IEEE 802.11 standard has defined two types of authentication methods, Open System and Shared Key. With Open System authentication, a wireless PC can join any network and receive any messages that are not encrypted. With Shared Key authentication, only those PCs that possess the correct authentication key can join the network. By default, IEEE 802.11 wireless devices operate in an Open System network.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) data encryption is used when the wireless devices are configured to operate in Shared Key authentication mode. There are two shared key methods implemented in most commercially available products,
802.11 Authentication
The 802.11 standard defines several services that govern how two 802.11 devices communicate. The following events must occur before an 802.11 Station can communicate with an Ethernet network through an access point such as the one built in to the WGR614:
1.Turn on the wireless station.
2.The station listens for messages from any access points that are in range.
3.The station finds a message from an access point that has a matching SSID.
4.The station sends an authentication request to the access point.
5.The access point authenticates the station.
6.The station sends an association request to the access point.
7.The access point associates with the station.
8.The station can now communicate with the Ethernet network through the access point.
An access point must authenticate a station before the station can associate with the access point or communicate with the network. The IEEE 802.11 standard defines two types of authentication: Open System and Shared Key.
•Open System Authentication allows any device to join the network, assuming that the device SSID matches the access point SSID. Alternatively, the device can use the “ANY” SSID option to associate with any available Access Point within range, regardless of its SSID.
Wireless Networking Basics |