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"The two primary security protocols used by IPSec are Authentication Header (AH) and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)."

Basically, the split-MAC architecture allows the splitting of 802.11 protocol packets between the Cisco LWAPP-based AP that handles real-time portions of the protocol and the WLAN controller that handles any items that are not time sensitive.

As more vendors migrate to a mesh hierarchical design, and as larger networks are built using lightweight access points, we really need a standardized protocol that governs how lightweight access points communicate with WLAN systems. This is exactly the role filled by one of the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF's) latest draft specification, Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP).

I'd be pretty willing to bet you've heard the term VPN more than once before. Maybe you even know what one is, but just in case, a virtual private network (VPN) allows the creation of private networks across the Internet, enabling privacy and tunneling of non-TCP/IP protocols.

Simply put, IPSec is an industry-wide standard suite of protocols and algorithms that allows for secure data transmission over an IP-based network that functions at the layer 3 network layer of the OSI model.

Wireless LANs (WLANs) use radio frequencies (RFs) that are radiated into the air from an antenna that creates radio waves. These waves can be absorbed, refracted,or reflected by walls, water, and metal surfaces, resulting in low signal strength.

The 802.11b standard has been widely adopted by both vendors and customers who found that its 11Mbps data rate worked pretty well for most applications.