New Ideas 17 - Wireless

IEEE 802.1X

An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard for port-based Network Access Control (NAC) that authenticates users and devices before granting access to a wired or wireless network using a supplicant, authenticator, and authentication server model.

CH: 802.1X equals network authentication and NAC, exam trap is confusing it with Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tagging or wireless speed standards.

Port-based Network Access Control (NAC)

A security mechanism that restricts network access until a user or device is authenticated and authorized, commonly implemented using IEEE 802.1X.

CH: NAC controls access BEFORE network connectivity is granted, exam trap is focusing only on endpoint security after connection.

Supplicant

The client device or software requesting access to a protected network in an IEEE 802.1X authentication process, such as a laptop connecting to a corporate wireless network.

CH: Supplicant requests access, exam trap is confusing the supplicant with the device enforcing access control.

Authenticator

The network device that controls access to the network in an IEEE 802.1X process, typically a switch or wireless access point, and forwards authentication requests between the supplicant and authentication server.

CH: Authenticator is the gatekeeper device, not the credential validation server.

Authentication Server

The server that validates credentials during an IEEE 802.1X authentication process, commonly using a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server to approve or deny network access.

CH: Authentication server validates identity, exam trap is confusing it with the switch or access point enforcing access.

IEEE 802.1Q

An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard that defines Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tagging on Ethernet networks to logically separate network traffic.

CH: 802.1Q equals VLAN tagging, exam trap is confusing it with authentication or wireless security standards.

IEEE 802.11i

An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless security standard associated with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), providing stronger wireless authentication and encryption mechanisms.

CH: 802.11i relates to wireless security and WPA2, not Wi-Fi speed or VLAN tagging.

IEEE 802.11n

An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) wireless networking standard focused on improving Wi-Fi speed, throughput, and performance through technologies such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO).

CH: 802.11n is about wireless performance and speed, not authentication or encryption.