Advanced Configuration
Note: Client station MAC authentication occurs prior to the IEEE 802.1X authentication procedure configured for the access point. However, a client’s MAC address provides relatively weak user authentication, since MAC addresses can be easily captured and used by another station to break into the network. Using 802.1X provides more robust user authentication using user names and passwords or digital certificates. So, although you can configure the access point to use MAC address and 802.1X authentication together, it is better to choose one or the other, as appropriate.
802.1X Setup – IEEE 802.1X is a standard framework for network access control that uses a central RADIUS server for user authentication. This control feature prevents unauthorized access to the network by requiring an 802.1X client application to submit user credentials for authentication. The 802.1X standard uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to pass user credentials (either digital certificates, user names and passwords, or other) from the client to the RADIUS server. Client authentication is then verified on the RADIUS server before the access point grants client access to the network.
The 802.1X EAP packets are also used to pass dynamic unicast session keys and static broadcast keys to wireless clients. Session keys are unique to each client and are used to encrypt and correlate traffic passing between a specific client and the access point. You can also enable broadcast key rotation, so the access point provides a dynamic broadcast key and changes it at a specified interval.
You can enable 802.1X as optionally supported or as required to enhance the security of the wireless network.
•Disable: The access point does not support 802.1X authentication for any wireless client. After successful wireless association with the access point, each client is allowed to access the network.
