ZyXEL Communications wireless n gigbit router zyxel 27.0.2 WPA2-PSK Application Example, 367

Appendix D Wireless LANs

27.0.2 WPA(2)-PSK Application Example

A WPA(2)-PSK application looks as follows.

1First enter identical passwords into the AP and all wireless clients. The Pre-Shared Key (PSK) must consist of between 8 and 63 ASCII characters (including spaces and symbols).

2The AP checks each wireless client's password and (only) allows it to join the network if the password matches.

3The AP derives and distributes keys to the wireless clients.

4The AP and wireless clients use the TKIP or AES encryption process to encrypt data exchanged between them.

Figure 229 WPA(2)-PSK Authentication

27.0.3 WPA(2) with RADIUS Application Example

You need the IP address of the RADIUS server, its port number (default is 1812), and the RADIUS shared secret. A WPA(2) application example with an external RADIUS server looks as follows. "A" is the RADIUS server. "DS" is the distribution system.

1The AP passes the wireless client's authentication request to the RADIUS server.

2The RADIUS server then checks the user's identification against its database and grants or denies network access accordingly.

3The RADIUS server distributes a Pairwise Master Key (PMK) key to the AP that then sets up a key hierarchy and management system, using the pair-wise key to dynamically generate unique data encryption keys to encrypt every data packet that is wirelessly communicated between the AP and the wireless clients.

NBG-460N User’s Guide

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