Introduction

Welcome and thank you for selecting Fortinet products for your network protection. This document describes how to configure wireless networks with FortiWiFi, FortiGate, and FortiAP units.

This chapter contains the following topics:

l Before you begin l How this guide is organized

Before you begin

Before you begin using this guide, please ensure that:

l You have administrative access to the web-based manager and/or CLI. l The FortiGate unit is integrated into your network. l The operation mode has been configured. l The system time, DNS settings, administrator password, and network interfaces have been configured. l Firmware, FortiGuard Antivirus and FortiGuard Antispam updates are completed. l FortiGuard Analysis & Management Service is properly configured.

While using the instructions in this guide, note that administrators are assumed to be super_admin administrators unless otherwise specified. Some restrictions will apply to other administrators.

How this guide is organized

This FortiOS Handbook chapter contains the following sections:

Introduction to wireless networking explains the basic concepts of wireless networking and how to plan your wireless network.

Configuring a WiFi LAN explains how to set up a basic wireless network, prior to deploying access point hardware.

Access point deployment explains how to deploy access point hardware and add it to your wireless network configuration.

Wireless Mesh explains how to configure a Wi-Fi network where access points are connected to the Wi-Fi controller wirelessly instead of by Ethernet.

Combining WiFi and wired networks with a software switch shows how to use the FortiAP Wi-Fi-Ethernet bridge feature.

Protecting the WiFi Network explains the Wireless Intrusion Detection System (WIDS).

Wireless network monitoring explains how to monitor your wireless clients and how to monitor other wireless access points, potentially rogues, in your coverage area.

Introduction                                                                                                                 How this guide is organized

Configuring wireless network clients explains how to configure typical wireless clients to work with a WPAEnterprise protected network.

Wireless network examples provides two examples. The first is a simple Wi-Fi network using automatic configuration. The second is a more complex example of a business with two Wi-Fi networks, one for employees and another for guests or customers.

Using a FortiWiFi unit as a client explains how to use a FortiWiFi unit as a wireless client to connect to other Wi-Fi networks. This connection can take the place of an Ethernet connection where wired access to a network or to the Internet is not available.

Support for location-based services explains how Fortinet supports location-based services that collect information about devices near FortiGate-managed access points, even if the devices don’t associate with the network.

Reference provides information about Wi-Fi radio channels.