Meru Network - Radius Server 2008 R2

[pettit87]

We are installing a new meru wireless network in Summer 2012 to replace our ageing 3com system. We currently used WPA2 on the 3com system but it seem (because of windows 7) the students know the WPA2 key.

 

I wish to change to radius Authentication with Server 2008 R2 (NPS).

 

1) How have others got this setup - (user or machine authentication)

 

2) Does anyone have any advice on this? Is this the preferred authentication Method?

 

3) What are you doing with your Meru wireless network (if you have one)

 

Many thanks

[SYNACK]

The only reason they would no the key because of Windows 7 is if they were given local admin rights, otherwise you can't recover the key.

[pettit87]

I don't think the key is widely known. We run a laptop scheme and students have user rights on their local account, but have admin rights for the first week to install printers etc.

[Michael]

What difference does it make that students know the wireless key? The important thing is your network is secure and they still have to authenticate to access any resources, through correctly configured NTFS permissions.

 

WPA2-PSK AES is pretty much unbreakable, so long as you avoid dictionary words and include upper or lower case characters, numbers and optionally a symbol.

[plexer]

Wpa2 is trivially crackable if wps is enabled.

 

We use machine radius auth for our laptops and user auth for phones etc...

 

Ben

[pettit87]

Ben

 

Thanks for the reply. Are you running Server 2008 R2? How can you set different auth methods for laptops and phones?

[Michael]

WPS or WiFi Protected Setup is great one respect, but not the other. You generally only find it on home wireless routers rather than wireless access points. I don't think I've ever seen a wireless access point with WPS come to think of it.

 

It's not WPA2 which is the problem, but WPS itself, but it's just as easy to disable it.

[mhowell]

Hi Pettit 87

Happy to help directly from Meru if you wish

Feel free to contact me directly if you need some help from us [email protected]

thx

Mark