Exam 350-101 Topic 2 Question 5 Discussion

WPA2 Personal (PSK) authentication relies on a shared secret (preshared key) configured on both the wireless LAN controller (WLC) and the client device. In the exhibit, the WLAN is configured with WPA2 and PSK (set-key ascii MyKey123), which means the network expects clients to use the same preshared key to authenticate. To enable client connectivity, the preshared key must be manually entered on each client device; this aligns the client and WLC authentication parameters. Options B, C, and D are unrelated to WPA2 Personal: MAC filtering is a security policy mechanism, Active Directory integration supports WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1X authentication, and client certificates are used for certificate-based EAP methods, not PSK. Cisco Wireless Core Technologies emphasize that PSK deployments require consistent key configuration across the WLAN and clients, and that the preshared key is the critical element for successful authentication. This ensures secure, encrypted communication while providing simple setup for small or branch deployments without an enterprise RADIUS infrastructure. Reference topics:Client Connectivity Configuration - WPA2 Personal, preshared key authentication, WLAN configuration, branch deployment WLAN security.