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Copyright © 2004-2005, Vivato, Inc.
Does Prohibiting the Broadcast SSID Enhance Security?
You can suppress (prohibit) this broadcast to discourage stations from automatically discovering your AP/
Bridge (see “Broadcast SSID” on page 88). When the VA4200’s broadcast SSID is suppressed, the
network name will not be displayed in the List of Available Networks on a client station. Instead, the client
must have the exact network name configured in the supplicant before it will be able to connect.
Disabling the broadcast SSID is sufficient to prevent clients from accidentally connecting to your network,
but it will not prevent even the simplest of attempts by a hacker to connect or monitor plain text traffic.
This offers a very minimal level of protection on an otherwise exposed network, where the priority is
making it easy for clients to get a connection and where no sensitive information is available.
Navigating to Security Settings
Security is first configured when creating an SSID. To edit the security mode for an existing SSID, navigate
to the
STATUS > SSID Table
tab, select "Configure" for that SSID, and modify the existing settings. See
“Creating and Managing Multiple Networks (SSIDs)” on page 85 .
Configuring Security Settings
The following configuration information explains how to configure security modes on the AP/Bridge. Keep
in mind that each wireless client that wants to exchange data with the AP/Bridge must be configured with
the proper security settings as well.
