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Private PSK (PPSK) Overview

Introduction

• MESHdesk and APdesk now include support for Private PSKs.
• This feature has been available from some vendors for a while although each vendor has their own unique implementation and sometimes they also have their own terminology.
  • Cisco calls it Identity PSK.
  • Aruba calls it Multiple Pre-Shared Key (MPSK).
  • Ruckus calls it Dynamic PSK.
• Some of the names and technologies have been branded and trademarked.
• This feature provides two main functions.
  • The ability for each device that connects to a single SSID to have a unique WPA2 Shared Key.
  • The option for each device to be assigned to a predefined VLAN after authentication.

Usage

Your next question might be “OK, so why would I want to use this feature?” or even “Where do you use this feature?”

• We will split this into two categories. One for small deployments and another for large deployments.

Small deployments

• In a small deployment you need a minimum of one Access Point.
• You don't need any VLAN aware equipment, the VLAN assignment will be internal.
• You will typically have:
  • A Single SSID that is configured for Private PSK security.
  • The On-boarding Captive Portal.
  • A LAN bridge
  • Zero or more NAT+DHCP networks
  • Zero or more OpenVPN bridges.

Large deployments

• With large deployments you can potentially have hundreds of Access Points all centrally managed using MESHdesk and APdesk.
• These deployments will include working together with other components to provide an integrated solution.
• You will typically have
  • A common SSID that is configured for Private PSK security on all the Access Points.
  • External / Central on-boarding Captive Portal.
  • Multiple VLAN enabled switches.
  • A firewall that hosts multiple networks, each of which is linked to a different VLAN.