Overview

Using 802.1X authentication with WPA2-Enterprise provides the best security option for wireless devices on your network. However, for devices that do not have 802.1X support, such as gaming consoles or printers, Cloudpath offers a method for registering these devices on the network.

MAC registration allows network access to devices that do not have the 802.1X supplicant capability. The registration process provides authentication using the MAC address of the device to allow limited, secure network access.

When setting up MAC registration, a list of authorized MAC addresses is maintained on the RADIUS server. When a non-802.1X device attempts to connect to the network, the request is forwarded to the RADIUS server, where the device is checked against the list of authorized MAC addresses. If the registration is not expired, the RADIUS server authenticates the device and sends a redirect URL, which points to the Cloudpath Enrollment System (ES) for onboarding to the secure network.

This document describes how to configure Cloudpath and a Wireless LAN Controller to support MAC Registration.