802.1X EAP WLANs

802.1X EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol), or "WPA-Enterprise," is an IEEE Standard that provides a flexible and extensible authentication mechanism for devices attempting to connect to wired and wireless LANs.

802.1X provides secure connectivity by ensuring that every device must authenticate to an authentication server before it is allowed access to network resources. Authentication can be based on digital certificates, and granular policies can be designed to govern the level of access, and provide visibility and control over devices on the network.

The RUCKUS 802.1X implementation provides a means for the controller to connect to the RADIUS server after entering the server's IP address and shared secret. Specific instructions for RADIUS server configuration vary depending on the RADIUS server software used, and are therefore beyond the scope of this document.

In this section:

  1. 802.1X WLAN Survivability
    The WLAN Survivability feature allows 8021X end users to continue to authenticate successfully and access the internet even when the external RADIUS server is unreachable for a configurable period of time.
Parent topic: WLAN Configuration