Table Of Contents
Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
Prerequisites for Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
Information About Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN
Service Set Identifiers in Wireless LANs
How to Configure a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
Configuring Bridging Mode and Open Authentication on an Access Point
Configuring Routing Mode and Open Authentication on an Access Point
Verifying and Monitoring Wireless LAN Settings
Configuration Examples for a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
Access Point in Bridging Mode with Open Authentication Configuration: Example
Access Point in Routing Mode with Open Authentication Configuration: Example
Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
This module describes how to configure a wireless LAN (WLAN) connection between a wireless device, such as a laptop computer or mobile phone, and a Cisco 800, 1800 (fixed and modular), 2800, or 3800 series integrated services router, hereafter referred to as an access point or AP, using the Cisco IOS CLI. It also describes how to configure the access point in bridging or routing mode with basic authentication, and how to verify and monitor wireless LAN settings.
Upon completion of this module, you will need to configure security features on your wireless LAN such as encryption and authentication, adjust radio settings, configure VLANs, configure quality of service (QoS), and configure RADIUS servers, as needed.
Module History
This module was first published on December 15, 2005.
Information on Features in This Module
Your Cisco IOS software release may not support all features. To find information about feature support and configuration, see the "Cisco IOS Wireless LAN Features Roadmap" module.
Contents
•Prerequisites for Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
•Information About Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN
•How to Configure a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
•Configuration Examples for a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
Prerequisites for Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
The following prerequisites apply to configuring a basic wireless LAN connection using the Cisco IOS CLI:
•Read the "Wireless LAN Overview" module.
•Make sure you are using a computer connected to the same network as the access point, and obtain the following information from your network administrator:
–The Service Set Identifier (SSID) for your wireless network
–If your access point is not connected to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, a unique IP address for your access point (such as 172.17.255.115)
Information About Configuring a Basic Wireless LAN
Before you configure a basic wireless LAN, you should understand the following concepts:
•Service Set Identifiers in Wireless LANs
Service Set Identifiers in Wireless LANs
The SSID is a unique identifier that wireless networking devices use to establish and maintain wireless connectivity. Multiple access points on a network or subnetwork can use the same SSID. SSIDs are case sensitive and can contain up to 32 alphanumeric characters.
You can create up to 16 SSIDs on Cisco 1800 series routers or routers equipped with the access point high-speed WAN interface card (AP HWIC), such as the Cisco 2800 and 3800 series routers. You can create up to 10 SSIDs on Cisco 800 series routers. Assign different configuration settings to each SSID. All the SSIDs are active at the same time; that is, client devices can associate to the access point using any of the SSIDs.
You can assign multiple SSIDs to the same interface or subinterface as long as all of the SSIDs have the same encryption. If, for example, you want to configure two SSIDs, each with its own encryption, you must configure two VLANs and assign an SSID to each VLAN.
If you want the access point to allow associations from client devices that do not specify an SSID in their configurations, you can set up a guest SSID. The access point includes the guest SSID in its beacon. However, if the network must be secure, do not create a guest mode SSID on the access point.
If your network uses VLANs, you can assign one SSID to a VLAN, and client devices using the SSID are grouped in that VLAN. See the "Configuring Wireless VLANs" module for more information.
Spaces in SSIDs
You can include spaces in an SSID, but be careful not to add spaces to an SSID accidentally, especially trailing spaces (spaces at the end of an SSID). If you add trailing spaces, it might appear that you have identical SSIDs configured on the same access point. If you think you configured identical SSIDs on the access point, enter the show dot11 associations command and examine the output to check your SSIDs for trailing spaces.
For example, this sample output from a show configuration command does not show spaces in SSIDs:
ssid ciscovlan 77authentication openssid ciscovlan 17authentication openssid ciscovlan 7authentication openHowever, this sample output from a show dot11 associations command shows the spaces in the SSIDs:
SSID [anyname] :SSID [anyname ] :SSID [anyname ] :How to Configure a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
This section contains the following tasks:
•Configuring Bridging Mode and Open Authentication on an Access Point (required, depending on desired network configuration)
•Configuring Routing Mode and Open Authentication on an Access Point (required, depending on desired network configuration)
•Verifying and Monitoring Wireless LAN Settings (optional)
Configuring Bridging Mode and Open Authentication on an Access Point
Perform this task to configure bridging mode and open authentication on an access point.
Bridging mode should be used on an access point if one or more of the following conditions is required:
•You want to bridge non-IP traffic (for example, IPX, AppleTalk, and SNA) between the wired and wireless devices.
•You want to configure the network so that the devices on the FastEthernet ports and the wireless clients are on the same IP subnet.
Note Configuring the network in this way limits the capability to filter traffic between the wireless devices and devices on the FastEthernet interfaces.
SUMMARY STEPS
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. bridge irb
4. bridge bridge-group route protocol
5. interface dot11Radio interface
6. ssid name
7. authentication open [mac-address list-name] [eap list-name]
8. exit
9. bridge-group bridge-group
10. bridge-group bridge-group subscriber-loop-control
11. bridge-group bridge-group spanning-disabled
12. bridge-group bridge-group block-unknown-source
13. no bridge-group bridge-group source-learning
14. no bridge-group bridge-group unicast-flooding
15. no shutdown
16. exit
17. interface type number
18. bridge-group bridge-group
19. bridge-group bridge-group spanning-disabled
20. exit
21. interface type number
22. ip address ip-address mask [secondary]
23. copy running-config startup-config
DETAILED STEPS
Configuring Routing Mode and Open Authentication on an Access Point
Perform this task to configure routing mode and open authentication on an access point.
Routing mode should be used on an access point if one or more of the following conditions is required:
•You want to implement routing features on the radio interface to take advantage of features such as filtering and access lists.
The radio interface is like other Layer 3 routeable interfaces: Configuring static or dynamic routing is required to route traffic between networks.
•You want to configure the network so that the wired LAN interface is on a different IP subnet than the wireless devices.
•You want to improve network performance by using features such as Cisco Express Forwarding.
•You want to increase network security by using firewalls, for example, to separate traffic between the wired devices and the wireless devices.
SUMMARY STEPS
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. interface dot11Radio interface
4. ip address ip-address mask [secondary]
5. ssid name
6. authentication open [mac-address list-name] [eap list-name]
7. no shutdown
8. end
9. copy running-config startup-config
DETAILED STEPS
Verifying and Monitoring Wireless LAN Settings
Perform this task to verify and montior wireless LAN settings.
SUMMARY STEPS
1. enable
2. show controllers dot11Radio interface
3. show dot11 associations [client | repeater | statistics | mac-address | bss-only | all-client | cckm-statistics]
4. show dot11 statistics client-traffic
5. show dot11 statistics interface
6. show interfaces dot11Radio interface aaa timeout
7. show interfaces dot11Radio interface statistics
8. clear dot11 client
9. clear dot11 hold-list
10. clear dot11 statistics {dot11Radio interface | mac-address}
DETAILED STEPS
Configuration Examples for a Basic Wireless LAN Connection
This section contains the following examples:
•Access Point in Bridging Mode with Open Authentication Configuration: Example
•Access Point in Routing Mode with Open Authentication Configuration: Example
Access Point in Bridging Mode with Open Authentication Configuration: Example
The following configuration example shows how to:
•Configure a basic wireless LAN connection between a wireless client and a 2.4-GHz, 802.11b/g radio interface on a Cisco 800 or Cisco 1800 series fixed-configuration router (access point).
•Configure the access point in bridging mode with open authentication.
•Define a bridge group and assign it to the radio interface and a VLAN interface.
•Create a BVI and assign an IP address to that interface.
•Verify connectivity between the client and access point.
No encryption is being configured in this basic connection.
configure terminal
bridge irb
bridge 1 route ip
interface dot11Radio 0
ssid ssid1
authentication open
exit
bridge-group 1
bridge-group 1 subscriber-loop-control
bridge-group 1 spanning-disabled
bridge-group 1 block-unknown-source
no bridge-group 1 source-learning
no bridge-group 1 unicast-flooding
no shutdown
exit
interface vlan 1
bridge-group 1
bridge-group 1 spanning-disabled
exit
interface bvi 1
ip address 10.0.1.2 255.255.255.0
end
copy running-config startup-config
show dot11 associations client
Access Point in Routing Mode with Open Authentication Configuration: Example
The following configuration example shows how to:
•Configure a basic wireless LAN connection between a wireless client and a 2.4-GHz, 802.11b/g radio interface on a Cisco 3800 series router (access point).
•Configure the access point in routing mode with open authentication.
•Verify connectivity between the client and access point.
No encryption is being configured in this basic connection.
configure terminal
interface dot11Radio 0/3/0
ip address 10.0.1.1 255.255.255.0
ssid ssid2
authentication open
no shutdown
end
copy running-config startup-config
show dot11 associations client
Where to Go Next
After you configure the access point in bridging or routing mode with open authentication, you must configure security features to prevent unauthorized access to your network. Because it is a radio device, the access point can communicate beyond the physical boundaries of your building. Configure some combination of the following security features to protect your network from intruders:
•Encryption, such as Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which scrambles the communication between the access point and client devices to keep the communication private. See the "Securing a Wireless LAN" module for more information.
•Client authentication, such as EAP, Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol (LEAP), EAP with Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP), or MAC-based authentication. See the "Securing a Wireless LAN" module for more information.
•Unique SSIDs that are not broadcast in the access point beacon. See the "Separating a Wireless Network by Configuring Multiple SSIDs" section in the "Securing a Wireless LAN" module for information on how to configure multiple SSIDs.
Additional References
The following sections provide references related to configuring a basic wireless LAN connection.
Related Documents
Standards
Standard TitleNo new or modified standards are supported, and support for existing standards has not been modified.
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MIBs
RFCs
RFC TitleNo new or modified RFCs are supported, and support for existing RFCs has not been modified.
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Technical Assistance
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