Authentication Type:
Open System: This system is the most popular. Open systems do not perform any checks on a workstation before allowing it to attempt an association on the wireless network. Put simply, each time a workstation ask "will you authenticate me?", it will be answered with "Yes".
However, after the workstation is associated, all the data transferred would be encrypted if WEP was required in the WLAN. If WEP was not being used, the data frames would all be sent unencrypted.
This does not mean that your network is insecure (providing you use WEP), rather the workstations and the other wireless network devices do not perform any additional checks to authenticate the new workstation.
Shared Key: With this system, the authentication algorithm must already be known to both the new workstation and the device authenticating the workstation. Each time a workstation asks "will you authenticate me?", it will be answered with a 'challenge' response. The workstation then sends an encrypted response back to the device authenticating the workstation. If the device authenticating the workstation can decrypt the challenge response, and the new workstation as allowed on the network, then the new workstation is authenticated.
Note: Shared Key authentication can add to the security of your network but, as you can see, is much more complicated. When using Shared Key authentication, you must have the same authentication key configured in all the devices.
After the settings are completed, click the Submit button to save the setting.
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