Filter Control
VLAN
The access point can employ VLAN tagging support to control access to network resources and increase security. VLANs separate traffic passing between the access point, associated clients, and the wired network. There can be a VLAN assigned to each associated client, a default VLAN for each VAP (Virtual Access Point) interface, and a management VLAN for the access point.
Note the following points about the access point’s VLAN support:
The management VLAN is for managing the access point through remote management tools, such as the web interface, SSH, SNMP, or Telnet. The access point only accepts management traffic that is tagged with the specified management VLAN ID.
All wireless clients associated to the access point are assigned to a VLAN. If IEEE 802.1X is being used to authenticate wireless clients, specific VLAN IDs can be configured on the RADIUS server to be assigned to each client. If a client is not assigned to a specific VLAN or if 802.1X is not used, the client is assigned to the default VLAN for the VAP interface with which it is associated. The access point only allows traffic tagged with assigned VLAN IDs or default VLAN IDs to access clients associated on each VAP interface.
When VLAN support is enabled on the access point, traffic passed to the wired network is tagged with the appropriate VLAN ID, either an assigned client VLAN ID, default VLAN ID, or the management VLAN ID. Traffic received from the wired network must also be tagged with one of these known VLAN IDs. Received traffic that has an unknown VLAN ID or no VLAN tag is dropped.
When VLAN support is disabled, the access point does not tag traffic passed to the wired network and ignores the VLAN tags on any received frames.
NOTE: Before enabling VLAN tagging on the access point, be sure to configure the attached network switch port to support tagged VLAN frames from the access point’s management VLAN ID, default VLAN IDs, and other client VLAN IDs. Otherwise, connectivity to the access point will be lost when you enable the VLAN feature.
Using IEEE 802.1X and a central RADIUS server, up to 64 VLAN IDs can be mapped to specific wireless clients, allowing users to remain within the same VLAN as they move around a campus site. This feature can also be used to control access to network resources from clients, thereby improving security.
