Allied Telesis AT-WA7400/EU - Manual (Page 114)

Chapter 10: Configuring Security
114
Wireless Access Point is not encrypted.
There are no further options for plain text mode.
Plain text mode can be useful during initial network configuration or for
problem solving, but it is not recommended for regular use on the internal
network because it is not secure.
Guest Network
Plain text mode is the only mode in which you can run the guest network,
which is by definition an easily accessible, unsecure
LAN always virtually
or physically separated from any sensitive information on the internal LAN.
For example, the guest network might provide Internet and printer access
for day visitors.
The absence of security on the guest access point is designed to make it
as easy as possible for guests to get a connection without having to pro-
gram any security settings in their clients.
For a minimum level of protection on a guest network, you can choose to
suppress (prohibit) the broadcast of the SSID (network name) to
discourage client stations from automatically discovering your access
point. (See also “Does Prohibiting the Broadcast SSID Enhance
Security?” on page 111.)
For more about the guest network, see Chapter 11, “Setting Up Guest
Access” on page 131.
Static WEP
Wired Equivalent Privacy ( WEP ) is a data encryption protocol for 802.11
wireless networks. All wireless stations and access points on the network
are configured with 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 for data
encryption.
You cannot mix 64-bit and 128-bit WEP keys between the access point
and its client stations.
Static WEP is not the most secure mode available, but it offers more
protection than plain text mode as it does prevent an outsider from easily
sniffing out unencrypted wireless traffic. (For more secure modes, see the
sections on “IEEE 802.1x” on page 119, “WPA/WPA2 Enterprise
(RADIUS)” on page 123, or “WPA/WPA2 Personal (PSK)” on page 121.)
WEP encrypts data moving across the wireless network based on a static
key. (The encryption algorithm is a stream cipher called RC4.)
The access point uses a key to transmit data to the client stations. Each
client station must use that same key to decrypt data it receives from the
access point.