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Cisco Wireless Mobility Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Q. What is an Ethernet over IP (EoIP) tunnel to the unsecured network area?
A. Cisco recommends the use of a controller dedicated to guest traffic. This controller is known as the guest anchor controller. The guest anchor controller is usually located in an unsecured network area, often called the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Other internal WLAN controllers from where the traffic originates are located in the enterprise LAN. An EoIP tunnel is established between the internal WLAN controllers and the guest anchor controller in order to ensure path isolation of guest traffic from enterprise data traffic. Path isolation is a critical security management feature for guest access. It ensures that security and quality of service (QoS) policies can be separate, and are differentiated between guest traffic and corporate or internal traffic. An important feature of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network architecture is the ability to use an EoIP tunnel to statically map one or more provisioned WLANs (that is, SSIDs) to a specific guest anchor controller within the network. All traffic both to and from a mapped WLAN traverses a static EoIP tunnel that is established between a remote controller and the guest anchor controller. Using this technique, all associated guest traffic can be transported transparently across the enterprise network to a guest anchor controller that resides in the unsecured network area.

Q. Can guest traffic pass through a firewall with Network Address Translation (NAT) configured?
A. One to one NAT must be used on the EoIP tunnel going through a firewall.

Q. What is RFID?
A. RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification. The acronym refers to small electronic devices that consist of a small chip and an antenna. The chip typically is capable of carrying 2,000 bytes of data or less. The RFID device serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card; it provides a unique identifier for that object. And, just as a bar code or magnetic strip must be scanned to get the information, the RFID device must be scanned to retrieve the identifying information.

Q. Is it possible to skip the guest user authentication and display only the web page disclaimer option?
A. Yes. Another configuration option of wireless guest access is to bypass user authentication altogether and allow open access. However, there might be a need to present an acceptable-use policy and disclaimer page to guests before granting access. In order to do this, a guest WLAN can be configured for web policy passthrough. In this scenario, a guest user is redirected to a web portal page which contains disclaimer information. In order to enable identification of the guest user, passthrough mode also has an option for a user to enter an email address before connecting.

Q. How can your business extend communications with mobile solutions?
A. Mobilize your workforce by extending communications to create a unified workspace so that employees can do their jobs from everywhere. To meet the needs of the mobile workforce, Cisco offers a comprehensive set of mobile solutions that are integral to Cisco Unified Communications products. Mobile solutions offer a variety of intelligent endpoints, including wireless IP phones, mobile phones, and smartphones. People communicate the way they want to, whether they are in the office, on the road, or at home. Cisco Unified Communications enable all phones and devices to operate from a secure, enterprise-managed platform . With mobile solutions you can combine the convenience, flexibility, and reach of mobile communications with the benefits of Cisco Unified Communications. The combination of unified communications and mobility greatly enhances employee effectiveness by: (1) Reducing complexity, (2) Supporting the use of a single business number and voice mailbox, (3) Allowing communications to shift more easily between voice calls, voicemail, e-mail, and instant messaging, and (4) Improving the ability to make the right connection, or find the appropriate information the first time.

Q. How can Cisco help to manage your wireless network?
A. The Cisco Unified Wireless Network and the Cisco Spectrum Expert offer a combined RF solution that you can use at every stage of a Wi-Fi deployment such as (1) Planning: survey the RF landscape beforehand, (2) Management: isolate RF issues, and (3) Troubleshooting: quickly detect root causes. The Cisco Spectrum Analysis tool monitors the airwaves in your wireless network and allows you to: (1) Quickly and accurately determine Wi-Fi spectrum health and sources of interference, (2) Manage channel capacity and quality at the physical layer, and (3) Quickly eliminate interference sources.

Q. What is the advantage of Cisco next-generation wireless solutions?
A. The Cisco Unified Wireless Network offers robust coverage with 802.11a/b/g or delivers greater performance with 5x the throughput and unprecedented reliability using 802.11n and Cisco's Next-Generation Wireless solutions. Organizations migrating to the Cisco Unified Wireless Network will experience proven business-class connectivity that enables innovative applications to streamline business operations and improve productivity.