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ZyXel has boosted the security features of its ZyAir Wireless LAN adapter family by providing 802.1x authentication support with Meetinghouse Data Communications Aegis client and authentication API.
The Aegis client, based on the 802.1x standard, operates from an authentication server, which can be the Aegis server or a RADIUS server such as Funk Softwares Steel Belted RADIUS. The access point in between is called the authenticator.
Security-conscious sites can implement 802.1x authentication to provide much-enhanced security over standard WEP and should upgrade to the WPA standard being released in the next few months. (For eWEEK Labs Tech Analysis on WEP-to-WPA migration, see article.)
The Aegis client supports MD5, TLS, TTLS, LEAP and PEAP authentication schemes and is compatible with 802.1x-compliant access points and authentication servers, including Aegis and RADIUS servers.
I installed a ZyAir B-200 USB 802.11b adapter on a Windows XP Professional system, then installed the Aegis client. I used the ZyAir B-1000 access point as my authenticator and set up an Aegis server as the authentication server on a test network.
I found the Aegis client easy to use in tests, and it provided a simple interface for configuring authentication settings.
The Aegis client can be freely downloaded from ZyXels Web site and is available for Windows XP, 2000, 98 Server Edition and ME operating systems.
Additional information is available at us.zyxel.com.