Configuring VAPs

To configure VAPs:

Procedure

Step 1

Select Wireless > Networks.

Step 2

In the Radio field, click the radio interface (Radio 1 or Radio 2) to which the VAP configuration parameters are applied.

Step 3

If VAP0 is the only VAP configured on the system, and you want to add a VAP, click ✚. Then, check the VAP.

Step 4

Configure the following:

  • VLAN ID — Specify the VLAN ID of the VLAN to associate with the VAP.

    Be sure to enter a VLAN ID that is properly configured on the network. Network problems can result if the VAP associates the wireless clients with an improperly configured VLAN.

    When a wireless client connects to the WAP device by using this VAP, the WAP device tags all traffic from the wireless client with the configured VLAN ID, unless you enter the port VLAN ID or use a RADIUS server to assign a wireless client to a VLAN. The range for the VLAN ID is from 1 to 4094.

    If you change the VLAN ID to a different ID than the current management VLAN ID, the WLAN clients associated with this specific VAP cannot administer the device. You can verify the configuration of the untagged and management VLAN IDs on the LAN page. See IPv4 Configuration for more information.

  • SSID Name — Enter the name for the wireless network. The SSID is an alphanumeric string of up to 32 characters. Choose a unique SSID for each VAP.

    If you are connected as a wireless client to the same WAP device that you are administering, resetting the SSID will cause you to lose connectivity to the WAP device. You will need to reconnect to the new SSID after you save this new setting.

  • SSID Broadcast — Enables and disables the broadcast of the SSID.

    Specify whether to allow the WAP device to broadcast the SSID in its beacon frames. The Broadcast SSID parameter is enabled by default. When the VAP does not broadcast its SSID, the network name is not shown in the list of available networks on a client station. Instead, you must manually enter the exact network name into the wireless connection utility on the client so that it can connect.

    Disabling the broadcast SSID is sufficient to prevent clients from accidentally connecting to your network, but it does not prevent even the simplest of attempts by a hacker to connect or monitor unencrypted traffic. Suppressing the SSID broadcast offers a very minimal level of protection on an otherwise exposed network (such as a guest network) where the priority is to make it easy for clients to get a connection and where no sensitive information is available.

    WMF — The Wireless Multicast Forwarding provides an efficient way to transfer multicast traffic on the wireless device and overcome multicast transmission issues on the WLAN using the repeated unicast or multicast the frames.

  • Security — Choose the type of authentication required for access to the VAP. The options are:

    • None

    • Static WEP

    • WPA Personal

    • WPA Enterprise

If you choose a security mode other than None, additional fields appear. For more information on configuring the wireless security settings, see Configuring Security Settings.

We recommend using WPA Personal or WPA Enterprise as the authentication type as it provides stronger security protection.

Note

Static WEP can be used for wireless computers or devices that do not support WPA Personal and WPA Enterprise. To set security with Static WEP, configure the radio as 802.11a or 802.11b/g mode. The 802.11n mode restricts the use of Static as the security.

  • Client Filter — Specifies whether the stations that can access the VAP are restricted to a configured global list of MAC addresses. You can choose one of these types of Client filter:

    • Disabled — Does not use the Client filter.

    • Local — Uses the MAC authentication list that is configured on the Client Filter page.

    • RADIUS — Uses the MAC authentication list on an external RADIUS server.

  • Channel Isolation — Check to enable the channel isolation.

    When disabled, the wireless clients can communicate with one another normally by sending traffic through the WAP device.

    When enabled, the WAP device blocks communication between the wireless clients on the same VAP. The WAP device still allows data traffic between its wireless clients and the wired devices on the network, across a WDS link, and with other wireless clients associated with a different VAP, but not among the wireless clients

  • Band Steer — Check to enable the band steer when both the radios are up. It effectively utilizes the 5-GHz band by steering dual-band supported clients from the 2.4-GHz band to the 5-GHz band.

    • It is configured on a per-VAP basis and needs to be enabled on both the radios.

    • It is not encouraged on the VAPs with time-sensitive voice or video traffic.

    • It does not consider the n-bandwidth of the radio. Even if the 5-GHz radio happens to use 20 MHz bandwidth, it tries to steer clients to that radio.

  • Scheduler — Select a scheduler profile from the list, VAP0 can’t be associated to a scheduler profile.

  • Guest Access Instance — Associate a CP instance to a VAP. The associated CP instance settings applies to users who attempt to authenticate on the VAP. Select the instance name for each VAP you want to associate an instance with.

Note

A VAP can associate to one Guest Access Instance in Access Control > Guest Access page. You must configure a Guest Access Instance first.

Step 5

Click Save.

Caution

After new settings are saved, the corresponding processes may be stopped and restarted. When this condition happens, the WAP device may lose its connectivity. It is recommend that you change the WAP device settings at this time.

Note
To delete a VAP, check the VAP and click Delete. To edit a VAP, check the VAP and click Edit. To save your changes, click Save when complete.