NETGEAR ProSafe FWAG114, Reference Manual

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Reference Manual for the ProSafe Dual Band Wireless VPN Firewall FWAG114
D-4 Wireless Networking Basics
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 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.
Open System Authentication
The following steps occur when two devices use Open System Authentication:
1.
The station sends an authentication request to the access point.
2.
The access point authenticates the station.
3.
The station associates with the access point and joins the network.
This process is illustrated in below.
Figure 9-4: Open system authentication
Shared Key Authentication
The following steps occur when two devices use Shared Key Authentication:
1.
The station sends an authentication request to the access point.
2.
The access point sends challenge text to the station.
IN TER N ET LO CA L
ACT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
LNK
LNK/ACT
100 Cable/DSL ProSafeWirelessVPN Security Firewall
MODEL FVM318
PWR TEST
W LA N
Enable
Access Point (AP)
1) Authentication request sent to AP
2) AP authenticates
3) Client connects to network
Open System
Authentication Steps
Cable or
DLS modem
Client
attempting
to connect