Netgear RANGEMAX WPN111 User Manual download pdf (Page 53)

User Manual for the NETGEAR RangeMax™ Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter WPN111

W ireless N etworking Basics B-7

202-10076-01

•802.1x

802.1x defines port-based, network access control used to provide authenticated network

access and automated data encryption key management.

• Cisco LEAP

Light Extensible Authentication Protocol (LEAP) is a proprietary 802.1x EAP method

developed by Cisco for use on wireless networks that use Cisco 802.11 wireless devices. It

features dynamic per user per session WEP keys.

These security technologies are discussed below.

WEP Overview

The absence of a physical connection between nodes makes the wireless links vulnerable to

eavesdropping and information theft. To provide a certain level of security, the IEEE 802.11

standard has defined two types of authentication methods, Open System and Shared Key. With

Open System authentication, a wireless PC can join any network and receive any messages that are

not encrypted. With Shared Key authentication, only those PCs that possess the correct

authentication key can join the network. By default, IEEE 802.11 wireless devices operate in an

Open System network. Recently, Wi-Fi, the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance 

(http://www.wi-fi.net) developed the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), a new strongly enhanced

Wi-Fi security. WPA will soon be incorporated into the IEEE 802.11 standard. WEP and WPA are

discussed below.

WEP Authentication

An access point must authenticate a station before the station can associate with the access point or

communicate with the network. The IEEE 802.11 standard defines two types of WEP

authentication: Open System and Shared Key.

• Open System Authentication allows any device to join the network, assuming that the device

SSID matches the access point SSID. Alternatively, the device can use the “ANY” SSID

option to associate with any available access point within range, regardless of its SSID.

• Shared Key Authentication requires that the station and the access point have the same WEP

Key to authenticate. These two authentication procedures are described below.

The WEP Open System authentication process is illustrated in below.

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Netgear RANGEMAX WPN111 User Manual Page 53