Network Warrior, 2nd Edition

Configuring a WAP

Most people will configure an access point using a web browser, since many residential-class access points support only HTTP configuration. I’m a command-line kind of guy, so I’ll show you how to configure a single Cisco 1231 WAP in an environment where only one WAP is required. Things get substantially more complicated when considerations such as roaming and wireless controllers come into play. In enterprise environments, it’s common to use lightweight access points (LAPs) that are controlled entirely by wireless access controllers. Configuring a wireless network through a controller is a very different task than what I’ve outlined here. Again, I recommend a book dedicated to wireless networking for such detail.

Note

This configuration is very simple, and is designed to give you a basic understanding of what the IOS configuration in a simple WAP looks like. There are far better ways to configure wireless networks, including better security, the use of wireless VLANs, roaming, and so on. Please use your best judgment when designing wireless environments. Simple security such as WEP can pose serious security risks and should not be used in most corporate environments.

I’m configuring a single Cisco 1231 WAP for a small office that only has a few employees. They don’t need multiple access points, and they have minimal security needs since their office is in a remote location protected by large dogs hungry for wireless-hacker meat. The first step is to enable bridging ...