3-33
Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Point Software Configuration Guide
OL-2159-01
Chapter 3      Configuration
Radio Configuration
Use Aironet Extensions
Select yes or no to use Cisco Aironet 802.11 extensions. This setting must be set 
to yes (the default setting) to enable these features:
• Load balancing—The access point uses Aironet extensions to direct client 
devices to an access point that provides the best connection to the network 
based on factors such as number of users, bit error rates, and signal strength.
• Message Integrity Check (MIC)—MIC is an additional WEP security feature 
that prevents attacks on encrypted packets called bit-flip attacks. The MIC, 
implemented on both the access point and all associated client devices, adds 
a few bytes to each packet to make the packets tamper-proof.
• Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)—TKIP, also known as WEP key 
hashing, is an additional WEP security feature that defends against an attack 
on WEP in which the intruder uses an unencrypted segment called the 
initialization vector (IV) in encrypted packets to calculate the WEP key. 
The extensions also improve the access point’s ability to understand the 
capabilities of Cisco Aironet client devices associated with the access point. 
Require Use of Radio Firmware x.xx
This setting affects the firmware upgrade process when you load new firmware for 
the access point. Select yes to force the radio firmware to be upgraded to a 
firmware version compatible with the current version of the management system. 
Select no to exempt the current radio firmware from firmware upgrades.
Ethernet Encapsulation Transform
Choose 802.1H or RFC1042 to set the Ethernet encapsulation type. Data packets 
that are not 802.2 packets must be formatted to 802.2 via 802.1H or RFC1042. 
Cisco Aironet equipment uses 802.1H because it provides optimum 
interoperability. 
• 802.1H—This default setting provides optimum performance for Cisco 
Aironet wireless products. 
• RFC1042—Use this setting to ensure interoperability with non-Cisco Aironet 
wireless equipment. RFC1042 does not provide the interoperability 
advantages of 802.1H but is used by other manufacturers of wireless 
equipment.