Cisco Systems 1300 Series manual Understanding Express Security Settings

Chapter 5 Configuring the Access Point/Bridge for the First Time

Configuring Basic Security Settings

Understanding Express Security Settings

When the access point/bridge configuration is at factory defaults, the first SSID that you create by using the Express Security page overwrites the default SSID (tsunami), which has no security settings. The SSIDs that you create appear in the SSID table at the bottom of the page. You can create up to 16 SSIDs on the access point/bridge.

Note In Cisco IOS Release 12.3(4)JA, there is no default SSID and the radio is disabled by default. You must

configure an SSID and enable the radio before client devices can associate to the access point.

Using VLANs

If you use VLANs on your wireless LAN and assign SSIDs to VLANs, you can create multiple SSIDs by using any of the four security settings on the Express Security page. However, if you do not use VLANs on your wireless LAN, the security options that you can assign to SSIDs are limited because on the Express Security page encryption settings and authentication types are linked. Without VLANs, encryption settings (WEP and ciphers) apply to an interface, such as the radio, and you cannot use more than one encryption setting on an interface. For example, when you create an SSID with static WEP with VLANs disabled, you cannot create additional SSIDs with WPA authentication because they use different encryption settings. If you find that the security setting for an SSID conflicts with another SSID, you can delete one or more SSIDs to eliminate the conflict.

If any VLANs are defined on the access point/bridge, the trunk port on the switch must be limited to allow only the VLANs defined on the access point/bridge.

Express Security Types

Table 5-2describes the four security types that you can assign to an SSID.

Table 5-2	Security Types on Express Security Setup Page
Security Type		Description	Security Features Enabled
No Security		This is the least secure option. You should	None.
		use this option only for SSIDs used in a
		public space and assign it to a VLAN that
		restricts access to your network.
Static WEP Key		This option is more secure than no security.	Mandatory WEP. Client devices
		However, static WEP keys are vulnerable to	cannot associate using this SSID
		attack. If you configure this setting, you	without a WEP key that matches
		should consider limiting association to the	the bridge’s key.
		bridge based on MAC address (refer to the
		Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide
		for Cisco Aironet Access Points).

Cisco Aironet 1300 Series Outdoor Access Point/Bridge Hardware Installation Guide

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