Setup a 802.1X SSID
2 min
Prerequisites
Complete the following before you create an 802.1X SSID. Each step has its own page with detailed instructions.
- Configure a Service Area. Define the sites, buildings, and floors where you need Nile connectivity. See Setup Service Areas.
- Configure DHCP. Choose Nile DHCP or an external DHCP server, and define the subnets your users will use. See Setup DHCP.
- Configure Authentication. Add your RADIUS server under Network Setup > Authentication, or use the Nile RADIUS. See Setup Authentication.
- Configure Segments. Create a segment for this SSID and select a RADIUS server for each site in the segment. See Setup Segments.
Configuration Steps
- Log in to the Nile Portal.
- In the left navigation, select Network Setup > Wireless, click the '+' sign, and choose the Type as Enterprise.
- Configure the following:
- Name: Enter the SSID name.
- Security: Select WPA2 or WPA3 or WPA3 Enhanced.
- When WPA3 is selected, enable the Backward Compatibility checkbox to allow WPA2-only legacy clients to connect. This sets the SSID to WPA3 Transition Mode.
- If Backward Compatibility is not enabled, only clients that support WPA3 (128-bit) ciphers can connect to the SSID.
- When WPA3 Enhanced is selected, only clients that support WPA3 192-bit (Suite-B) ciphers can connect to the SSID.
- Optionally, select the Hide SSID checkbox if you wish to hide the SSID.
- Segments: If you have configured RADIUS authentication for a segment, it will appear in the dropdown. Select the appropriate segment for this SSID and save your changes.
- You can select more than one segment for a single SSID (for example, a teacher segment and a student segment). In this case, the RADIUS server must send the exact segment name, matching the name in the Nile Portal (case-sensitive), for each user or device when it authenticates. Use the Nile "netseg" attribute or the standard Tunnel-Private-Group-ID attribute. If the name is missing or does not match, authentication fails.