Question: Configuring a Wireless Network for Security Time Required: 40 minutes Objective: Install a wireless NIC (if necessary), connect to an access point, and configure security options. Required Tools and Equipment: Two or more computers with 802.11 wireless NICs installed; USB wireless NICs work well because they don't require opening the computer case, and laptops with built-in wireless NICs will also do. One wireless AP or wireless router configured with the SSID NetEss. The 802.11 standard supported doesn't matter as long as the AP is compatible with the NICs. The computers shouldn't be connected to a hub or switch. Description: In this challenge lab, you connect to a wireless access point and then configure security and other options. You can work in groups or have the instructor configure the AP and the students configure the NICs. If you work in groups, each group should choose a different SSID and channel. Perform the following tasks:
• Install the wireless NIC in each computer, if necessary.
• Configure the AP SSID as NetEss, if necessary.
• Connect to the AP from each computer.
• Configure the AP for the following security protocols, if available: WEP, WPA, and WPA2. After you configure the AP for a security protocol, change the wireless NIC configuration to use the same security protocol. Use as many of these protocols as your hardware supports.
• Change the AP's configuration to not use a security protocol and verify that all computers can connect before continuing.
• Configure these options on the AP to see how they affect your client connections; reset each option after you have tested it before moving on to the next option:
Disable SSID broadcasts.
MAC filtering: Configure filtering to allow only one or two computers to connect, and verify that the others can't connect.
• Answer the following questions:
- Which security protocol was the easiest to configure? Which protocol is the most secure?
- How did disabling the SSID broadcast affect your ability to connect to the AP?
- How did MAC filtering affect your ability to connect to the AP?