Whether
configured to support single 802.11b coverage, single 802.11g coverage,
single 802.11a coverage, dual-mode 802.11a/g coverage, or trimode
802.11a/b/g coverage, the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless PCI
Adapter is Wi-Fi compliant and combines the freedom of wireless
connectivity with 802.11i/ Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) encryption
for the performance, security, and manageability that businesses
require (Figure 1).
The
low-profile form factor and two-meter cable length provide significant
flexibility for installation in low-profile devices, such as slim
desktops and point-of-sale (POS) devices. For versatility, both a low
profile and a standard profile bracket frame are included with the
adapter. The attached dual-band, 2.4/5-GHz, 1-dBi effective gain
antenna has a two-meter cable that enables optimal placement for
maximum performance.
Figure 1. The Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless PCI Adapter
Enterprise-Class Security Solution
Designed
with enterprise-class security requirements in mind, the Cisco Aironet
802.11a/b/g Wireless PCI Adapter uses the 802.1X standard for
port-based network access. A full array of Extensible Authentication
Protocol (EAP) types for user-based authentication, together with
enterprise caliber Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption,
provide full 802.11i support. The adapter supports WPA2, the Wi-Fi
Alliance certification for interoperable, standards-based wireless LAN
security.
Support
for Management Frame Protection (MFP) is now available on the Cisco
Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless PCI Adapter. MFP adds security to the MAC
management layer of 802.11 connectivity by cryptographically hashing
the management frames and generating a Message Integrity Check (MIC)
during network connection.
The
Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless PCI Adapter supports the most common
802.1X authentication types, including EAP-Flexible Authentication via
Secure Tunneling (EAP-FAST), Cisco LEAP, EAP-Transport Layer Security
(EAP-TLS), Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol-Generic Token
Card (PEAP-GTC), and PEAP-Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication
Protocol version 2 (PEAP-MSCHAPv2). A wide selection of RADIUS servers,
such as the Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) and Cisco Access
Registrar server, can be used for enterprise-class centralized user
management that includes:
•
Strong, mutual authentication to help ensure that only legitimate
clients associate with legitimate and authorized network RADIUS servers
via authorized access points
•
Dynamic per-user, per-session encryption keys that automatically change
on a configurable basis to protect the privacy of transmitted data
•
Stronger encryption keys provided by Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
(TKIP) enhancements such as message integrity check (MIC), per-packet
keys via initialization vector hashing, and broadcast key rotation
• RADIUS accounting records for all authentication attempts
• IEEE 802.11i/WPA2 AES support
For more information on wireless security, visit
http://www.cisco.com/go/securewireless.
