secret key that is shared between a mobile station (eg. a laptop with a wireless ethernet
card) and an access point (ie. a base station). The secret key is used to encrypt packets
before they are transmitted, and an integrity check is used to ensure that packets are not
modified in transit.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
is a system to secure wireless (Wi-Fi) networks, created
to patch the security of the previous system, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). WPA is
designed for use with an 802.1X authentication server, which distributes different keys
to each user; however, it can also be used in a less secure pre-shared key (PSK) mode.
By default, security is disabled on Wi232.
802.11i/WPA2
is an amendment to the 802.11standard specifying security mechanisms
for wireless networks. 802.11i is the latest standard for 802.11-based wireless LAN
security. WPA2 is the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program, based on the support by
equipment and software for what it considers to be mandatory features of 802.11i.
The features in IEEE 802.11i and WPA2 are virtually identical. The two most important
features beyond WPA to become standardized through 802.11i/WPA2 are: pre-
authentication, which enables secure fast roaming without noticeable signal latency; and
the use of the CCMP cipher suite in place of TKIP. CCMP is based on the AES cipher.
AES yields the high level of data privacy required by some enterprises, government
agencies and other organizations. CCMP support is mandatory in both the 802.11i
specification and WPA2. Pre-authentication will be optional for both 802.11i and WPA2.
Authentication
Select an authentication scheme from the pull down menu:
Open/None or Shared
for WEP. Selecting Shared requires manually entering the
authentication key.
Pre-Shared Keys
for WPA and 802.11/WPA2.
Encryption
Select the encryption type from the pull down menu.
For
WEP
select 64 or 128 bits. 64 bits is the default encryption.
For
WPA
, select TKIP or TKIP+WEP
For
802.11i/WPA2
select CCMP, CCMP + TKIP, CCMP + WEP, TKIP, or TKIP + WEP
Key Type
Select Hex or Passphrase
Key
Enter the encryption Key.
Re-type Key
Re-enter the encryption
Key
value.
TX Key
Select one of four keys for WEP
Advanced
Settings
TX Data Rate
Select the max TX data Rate. The data rate is the Wi232’s bandwidth. If multiple products
are used, it may be required to lower the bandwidth to ensure one product is not using all
the available bandwidth. Select the data rate (in Mbps) from the pull down menu. Multiple
selections available.
Auto Fallback
Checkbox to enable the auto fallback feature.
Radio Power
Management
Power management reduces the overall power consumption of the Wi232 unit. Selecting
Enable
reduces power consumption but increases the response time for the Wi232 to
respond to requests.
Default is Disable.
3.7 Configurable Pins
The Wi232 uses a standard WiPort Wireless Serial to Ethernet module. It includes many functions for an
OEM developer including email options and configurable pins. The Wi232 does NOT utilize any
configurable pins. Ignore any web, telnet, or serial port references to configurable pins.
3.8 Apply Settings
WARNING: When you want to change a setting on one of the pages, you must always click the OK button on the bottom
of the page. You must then click the Apply Settings button from the main menu to save and apply the configuration
changes.
3-14
Wi232/WiUSB User Guide
