Setting up a secure hotspot with Enhanced Open

Enhanced Open for the first time provides a way to offer a secure, yet easy-to-use hotspot.

Enhanced Open has been combined with the LANCOM Public Spot option.

The WLAN to be used for the hotspot is set up in the usual way with the exception that the encryption method is set to Enhanced Open Transitional:





Not only is entering a key not required, it is not even possible: A client enabled for Enhanced Open establishes an encrypted connection to the access point without any key having to be entered. To the user, it is just like using an unencrypted, open WLAN: There is no need to enter any previously communicated key as with WPA2-PSK.

The Transitional mode allows an SSID to be used concurrently by clients that support Enhanced Open as well as by clients that do not yet support Enhanced Open. For the latter clients, no encryption is used at all and the SSID works like an open, unencrypted SSID. Once Enhanced Open has become more widespread, you can switch from Transitional mode to regular Enhanced Open mode.

After this, you can proceed as usual with the configuration of the Public Spot module. Since the Public Spot module is independent of the encryption settings of the WLAN interfaces, all of the functions of the Public Spot module can be used without restriction in conjunction with Enhanced Open.

In summary, Enhanced Open is ideal for hotspot operation as it provides a higher level of security than the open hotspots used in the past. The optional Transitional mode ensures that even clients that do not yet support Enhanced Open can be connected in a way that is transparent to the user.

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