Thick v Thin Access Points Lab Last Update Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D.

Objective In this lab we will examine the difference between thick and thin access points, as well as the differing methods by which access points can can be managed Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 2

Thick Access Point The original form of an access point is a standalone device where all of the decision making and processing goes on in the access point with no consideration of what other access points are doing Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 3

Thin Access Point A thin access point has part of its intelligence in the access point and part in a centralized controller This controller can be hardware or software based Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 4

Thick or Thin In the beginning of based wireless networks each access point was managed by connecting to them one at a time This worked when there were only a few access points Once large wireless networks began to be installed this became inefficient Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 5

Thick or Thin The solution was to move all of the management and decision making to a central point At this central point a hardware based controller was installed All of the traffic went from the AP to the controller and back to the AP Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 6

Thick or Thin This approach works for some networks, but it can slow larger, heavily loaded networks We now see more powerful access points or systems where the AP has some processing capacity and some is centralized Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 7

Thick or Thin In this lab we will look at both methods, thick and thin access points Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 8

Thick Access Point First we will look at a thick access In this example a Linksys WAP610N Connect the AP to the switch Power up the AP You will need to discover the IP address of the AP as it is set to acquire one from a DHCP server Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 9

Thick Access Point Log into the access point using a web browser with the IP address Leave the username blank, and enter –admin as the password Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 10

Thick Access Point Look around Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 11

Thin Access Point Now let’s create a wireless network with two access points and then manage them both from a single program The access points are Ubiquiti UniFi AP units The management program is called UniFi Controller Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 12

Thin Access Point When it starts a small window appears Click on the –Launch a Browser to Manage Wireless Network button Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 13

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 14

Thin Access Point This will appear Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 15

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 16

Thin Access Point Click on the –Proceed anyway button Run the setup process that appears Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 17

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 18

Thin Access Point If the access points are not connected to the switch that the computer running the management program is connected to this will appear Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 19

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 20

Thin Access Point Hook them up properly If the lights indicate that the NIC and switch are working properly, open port 8443 on the Windows Firewall or just turn it off for now Click the –Refresh button Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 21

Thin Access Point This should appear Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 22

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 23

Thin Access Point Click –Next Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 24

Thin Access Point Enter the –Secure SSID using NETW360 –Security Key using Click –Next Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 25

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 26

Thin Access Point Enter –Admin for the Admin Name Enter –password for the Password Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 27

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 28

Thin Access Point Click –Next Click –Finish Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 29

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 30

Thin Access Point The management login screen will appear Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 31

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 32

Thin Access Point Enter the login created above Click –Login This screen will appear Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 33

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 34

Thin Access Point We need to change the map as the one shown by default does not represent our building Download the DeVry floor plan from the lab page for this course Click –Add a Map Enter a map name in the Description field Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 35

Thin Access Point Click –Upload my own Browse to the location of the file to use as a map Click –Continue Click –Close Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 36

Thin Access Point Next we will adjust the scale of the map The DeVry building is how long How could you determine this Once you know, click the –Set Map Scale Button off on the right It looks like a triangle Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 37

Thin Access Point Click and hold to draw a line from one side of the building to the other side If you need to redraw the line, just click and hold again to draw a new line Once you’re happy with the line, click –Next Enter the distance that the line represents in the Distance field Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 38

Thin Access Point The distance is specified in meters by default but you can switch to feet using the drop-down menu on the right Click –Next Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 39

Place Access Points on Map The access points need to be placed on the map Drag the access point icons from the Unplaced APs list on the left to the appropriate locations on the map Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 40

Thin Access Point The result should look similar to this Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 41

Thin Access Point Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 42

Look Around Let’s see what we can do with a system such as this Click on one of the access points Three icons will appear around the access point Click on the one that looks like a gear This shows details on the AP Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 43

Look Around Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 44

Look Around Close this detail window Click on –Coverage Click on one of the access points An estimate of the coverage provided is show Such as Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 45

Look Around Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 46

Look Around Continue to see what the program can do Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 47

Other Access Points In most cases these days your access points will not be the only ones in the area There will be access points owned by your neighbors These may slow your throughput due to interference, but they do not constitute a security risk Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 48

Rogue Access Points Then there are access points that are plugged into your wired network These are a major security risk They must be located and removed This might happen due to an employee needing to add wireless access, but you will not provide it, so the employee does it The organizations security policy should cover this Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 49

Rogue Access Points Find the access point and remove it from the network Inform the employee and the supervisor that this is contrary to the security policy Worse is an access point connected to your network by a hacker These are a much more serious problem Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 50

Rogue Access Points Most centralized wireless network management programs will attempt to identify and locate these To illustrate this, connect the thick access point to the same switch the two Ubiquiti access points are connected to Let’s see how this program handles this task Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 51

Rogue Access Points Click on the –Insight button off on the right side From the dropdown menu on the left side select –Rogue Access Points Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 52

Rogue Access Points Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 53

Rogue Access Points This will appear showing the access point that has been connected to the wired network, but not added as an approved device Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 54

Rogue Access Points Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 55

Clear the Configuration Remove the site from the management console Reset all the access points to the factory defaults Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 56

Summary In this lab we have seen what thin and thick access points are at a basic level For thick access points, the same concepts apply to larger hardware controller based systems Copyright 2014 Kenneth M. Chipps Ph.D. 57