Copyright © 2004-2005, Vivato, Inc.
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Security Considerations Related to WDS Bridges
Static
Wired Equivalent Privacy
(
) is a data encryption protocol for 802.11 wireless networks. Both AP/
Bridges in a given WDS link must be configured with the same security settings. For static WEP, either a
static 64-bit (40-bit secret key + 24-bit initialization vector (IV)) or 128-bit (104-bit secret key + 24-bit IV)
Shared Key is specified for data encryption.
You can enable Static
on the WDS link (bridge). When WEP is enabled, all data exchanged between
the two AP/Bridges in a WDS link is encrypted using a fixed WEP key that you provide.
Static WEP is the only security mode available for the WDS link, and it does not provide effective data
protection to the level of other security modes available for service to client stations. If you use WDS on a
intended for secure wireless traffic you are putting your network at risk. Therefore, we recommend
using WDS to bridge the Guest network only for this release. Do not use WDS to bridge AP/Bridges on the
Internal network unless you are not concerned about the security risk for data traffic on that network.
For more information about the effectiveness of different security modes, see “Configuring Security” on
page 91. This topic also covers use of plain text security mode for VA4200-to-station traffic on the Guest
network, which is intended for less sensitive data traffic.
Navigating to WDS Settings
To specify the details of traffic exchange from this AP/Bridge to others, navigate to the
INTERFACE MANAGEMENT > Wireless Distribution System
tab, and update the fields as described below.
