Chapter 4      Security Setup
Security Overview
4-2
Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Point Software Configuration Guide
OL-2159-01
Security Overview
This section describes the types of security features you can enable on the access 
point. The security features protect wireless communication between the access 
point and other wireless devices, control access to your network, and prevent 
unauthorized entry to the access point management system.
Levels of Security
Security is vital for any wireless network, and you should enable all the security 
features available on your network. Figure 4-1 shows possible levels of security 
on Cisco Aironet wireless networking equipment, from no security on the left to 
highest security on the right. The highest level of security, EAP authentication, 
interacts with a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server on 
your network to provide authentication service for wireless client devices.
Figure 4-1 Wireless LAN Security Levels
Default 
settings
Unique 
SSID with 
Broadcast 
SSID 
disabled
Shared 
key 
authen-
tication 
with WEP
Open 
authen-
tication 
with WEP
MAC-
based 
authen-
tication 
with WEP
EAP 
authen-
tication 
with WEP
EAP 
authen-
tication 
with MIC, 
broadcast 
key 
rotation, 
and WEP 
Not secure Most secure
65677