Wireless

There may be cases where multiple users are having issues with the same general area or access point. The split-MAC architecture in Cisco wireless provides a few points where troubleshooting can occur. For a lightweight access point to operate, it needs to have connectivity through its access layer switch, and connectivity to the wireless LAN…

Most of the troubleshooting of a clients connectivity to a wireless network can be done through the wireless controllers GUI. As the wireless client probes and attempts to associate with an access point, there is a wealth of logs generated that can aid in troubleshooting. This information can be filtered down easily with the clients…

When it comes to troubleshooting wireless networks, there are three things that are required for a client to connection to an access point succesfully: The client is in range of the access point The client is able to successfully authenticate with the access point The client is able to gain a DHCP lease from the…

Web authentication differs from other methods of authentication as it presents the user with content to read and interact with before giving full access to the network. It can prompt for user credentials, display information about the enterprises network they are connecting too, or terms and conditions on the networks purpose and use. The user…

If the environment is small or there is no RADIUS server in production, an authentication that is built into the Cisco wireless controller can be used. The local EAP service needs to be defined on the controller. Navigate to Security -> Local EAP -> Profiles and click the New button. A name is required to…

Configure one or more external RADIUS servers in the Security > AAA > RADIUS section. Enter the servers IP address and the shared secret key that the wireless controller uses to communicate with the RADIUS server and ensure the server is set to Enabled. To use the RADIUS server with wireless network clients make sure…

Authenticating a client normally requires a challenge, then a response, then a decision on whether to grant access. The challenge and response can involve a range of encryption keys and algorithms with unique requirements to pass information between the client and access point. Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) provides a framework that allows for building of…

One methods of a secure connection to a wireless network is by utilising one of the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) technologies, WPA1, WPA2, or the latest version, WPA3. Each version of Wi-Fi Protected Access is certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance so a client and wireless access point utilising the same version of Wi-Fi Protected Access…

The original 802.11 standard has two choices in authenticating a client, Open Authentication and WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) Open Authentication offers open access to a wireless network. The only requirement is that a 802.11 authentication request must be made before it attempts to associate with an access point. Any 802.11 can authenticate to gain access…

Device location can be important to a business or enterprise network. A large store may be interested in tracking protentional customers as they walk around the store, or a museum as they walk around exhibits to present relevant content. A client can be located to which access point they are associated too, but it can…