Specifications

Chapter 1 Overview
Key Features
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Cisco Aironet Access Point Software Configuration Guide
OL-0657-07
Key Features
This section describes the key features of the access point firmware. The
following are the key features of this firmware version:
• Multiple IEEE 802.11 service set identifiers (SSIDs) allow you to create
different levels of network access and to access virtual LANs (VLANs).You
can configure up to 16 separate SSIDs to support up to 16 VLANs. Each
VLAN can have a different wireless security configuration so that the devices
that support the latest Cisco security enhancements can exist alongside legacy
devices. This additional access point functionality enables a variety of users
having different security levels to access different parts of the network.
• Quality of service (QoS), which allows various devices on the network to
communicate more effectively. The access point now supports QoS for
wireless Voice over IP (VoIP) telephones and downlink prioritized channel
access for streaming audio and video traffic. Filters can also be set to
prioritize traffic based on VLAN, VoIP address-based filters, protocol, or
port.
• Proxy Mobile IP provides a method for seamless inter-subnet roaming. When
you enable proxy Mobile IP on your access points, client devices that roam
from one subnet to the next maintain their IP address and session. The access
point acts as a Mobile IP proxy for client devices that do not have mobile IP
software installed. The access informs the foreign agent router that the client
has roamed to another subnet, while the foreign agent directs the home agent
to reroute packets to it.
• Centralized administrator authentication uses an AAA server to authenticate
users if the user administration feature is enabled on the access point. When
a login is attempted, the AAA server verifies the user login and passes back
the appropriate privileges for the user or an administrator.
• Better handling of lost Ethernet links causes a number of actions to be
executed when an access point loses backbone connectivity:
– No action—the access point continues to maintain associations with
clients and manages traffic between them, but traffic to the backbone is
not passed. When the backbone is restored, the access point begins
passing traffic to and from the wired network.