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SonicOS 5.8.1 Administrator Guide
CHAPTER 40
Chapter 40: Configuring Virtual Access Points with
Internal Wireless Radio
Wireless > Virtual Access Point
This chapter describes the Virtual Access Point feature and includes the following sections:
• “Wireless VAP Overview” section on page 495
• “Wireless Virtual AP Configuration Task List” section on page 496
• “VAP Sample Configuration” section on page 507
Wireless VAP Overview
This section provides an introduction to the Virtual Access Point feature for SonicWALL UTM
appliances equippped with internal wireless radios.
This section contains the following subsections:
• “What Is a Virtual Access Point?” section on page 495
• “Benefits of Using Virtual APs” section on page 496
What Is a Virtual Access Point?
A Virtual Access Point is a multiplexed instantiation of a single physical Access Point (AP) so
that it presents itself as multiple discrete Access Points. To wireless LAN clients, each Virtual
AP appears to be an independent physical AP, when in actuality there is only a single physical
AP. Before the evolution of the Virtual AP feature support, wireless networks were relegated to
a One-to-One relationship between physical Access Points and wireless network security
characteristics, such as authentication and encryption. In other words, an Access Point
providing WPA-PSK security could not simultaneously offer Open or WPA-EAP connectivity to
clients, and if the latter were required, they would had to have been provided by a separate,
distinctly configured Access Points. This forced WLAN network administrators to find a solution