This is the sixth in a series that document the Tier 3 / Co-Managed IT work we did to setup a wireless test bed for a Linux based scientific device. The testing environment included two different wireless network hardware types (Ubiquiti and Cisco). There was also a Synology device used for various purposes including hosting the Ubiquiti controller inside a Kubernetes container, providing certificate services, providing LDAP authentication, and providing RADIUS authentication. Each article will detail a separate piece of the project. This article shows the basic setup of Cisco Wireless Controller for PSK and RADIUS authentication from wireless devices.

Setup Cisco Wireless Network with PSK

1. Login to Cisco Wireless Controller
2. Click on WLANs tab at top
3. Click on GO next to Create New drop down
4. Create Profile Name & SSID
5. Click Apply
6. Click Enabled next to Status
7. Click Apply
8. Click on Security tab
9. Uncheck 802.1x
10. Check PSK
11. Enter Pre-Shared Key next to PSK format
12. Click Apply
13. Click Save Configuration at the top

Setup Cisco Wireless Network with RADIUS

1. Log into Cisco Wireless Controller
2. Click on Security tab at top
3. Click on Authentication under RADIUS on left hand side
4. Change both Acct Call Station ID Type to IP Address
5. Click Apply
6. Click on New
7. Add RADIUS server IP address
8. Add Shared Secret
9. Uncheck management
10. Click Apply
11. Click on WLANs tab at top
12. Edit WLAN 1
13. Click on Security tab
14. Click on AAA Servers tab
15. Change Server 1 to the one entered on RADIUS Authentication page
16. Click Apply
17. Click on Layer 2 tab
18. Change Authentication type to 802.11x
19. Click Apply
20. Click Save Configuration at the top

If your company has highly customized setup requirements that you need consulting for, then contact us for assistance.