Configuring security settings on wireless clients

Typically, users will configure security on their wireless clients for access to many different networks (access points). The list of “Available Networks” will change depending on the location of the client and which APs are online and detectable in that location. The exception to this is if the access point is set to prohibit the broadcast of its network name. In this case the SSID will not show up in the list of Available Networks on the client. Instead, the client must have the exact network name configured in the network connection properties before it will be able to connect.

Once an AP has been detected by the client and security is configured for it, it remains in the client’s list of networks but shows as either reachable or unreachable depending on the situation. For each network (AP) you want to connect to, configure security settings on the client to match the security mode being used by that network.

We describe security setup on a client that uses Microsoft Windows client software for wireless connectivity. The Windows client software is used as the example because of its widespread availability on Windows computers and laptops. These procedures will vary slightly if you use different software on the client (such as Funk Odyssey), but the configuration information you need to provide is the same.

Important The recommended sequence for security configuration is (1) set up security on the access point, and (2) configure security on each of the wireless clients.

We expect that initially, you will connect to an access point that has no security set (plain text mode) from an unsecure wireless client. With this initial connection, you can go to the access point Administration Web pages and configure a security mode (Advanced > Security).

When you re-configure the access point with a security setting and click Update, your wireless client will be disassociated and you will lose connectivity to the AP Administration Web pages. In some cases, you may need to make additional changes to the AP security settings before configuring the client. Therefore, you must have a backup Ethernet (wired) connection.

The following sections describe how to set up each of the supported security modes on wireless clients of a network served by the Gateway 7001 AP.

■“Network infrastructure and choosing between built-in or external authentication server” on page 122

■“Make sure the wireless client software is up-to-date” on page 123

■“Accessing the Microsoft Windows wireless client security settings” on page 123

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