Introduction

This document provides a general overview of Wireless concepts and introduces Fortinet Secure Wireless products.

Fortinet Secure Wireless LANs

"How do I get on the Wi-Fi?" It is a cliché because it is true: the most common network access technology is Wi-Fi. Other wireless technologies, such as LTE for long range and BLE for short range are also vital to modern networks, but they complement Wi-Fi rather than compete with it.

The evolution Wi-Fi has undergone over the last 20+ years, and continues to undergo, has not just been about the network standards, but also the way we use it. Physically, all Wi-Fi connections are the same, and follow the same primarily network Layer 1 and Layer 2 standards, but securing the ever-growing variety of devices that connect over the Wi-Fi keeps getting more complex.

Authorized end users with organization issued devices are not the same as authorized users with personal devices (BYOD, Bring Your Own Device), which are not the same as short term guest users, or public access users, let alone the enormous number of evolving IoT devices that don't have a user associated with them at all—and were usually designed by companies with no real cybersecurity expertise. Fortinet brings unique strengths to address network and security administrator's needs to secure WLANs, providing cyber security that is both strong and simple to administer without burdening customers with complex licensing.

Intended audience

This guide is intended for an audience who is interested in learning about Fortinet's Secure Wireless LAN concepts. Readers should have a basic understanding of networking, wireless and security concepts before they begin. Interested audience may include:

• Network, Wireless and Security architects

• Network, Wireless and Security engineers

About this guide

This guide aims to provide a broad overview of Wireless concepts, and introduce products in the Fortinet portfolio that work together to implement a scalable Secure Wireless solution. Industry standard terminologies are used, with introductions to Fortinet specific terms, concepts and technologies. Readers can move on to the Wireless Architecture Guide and other Wireless Deployment Guides when they are familiar with the concept and terminology and is ready to explore different designs to use in their environment.