An enterprise encryption gateway (EEG) is a

layer 2 The data link layer, or layer 2, is the second layer of the seven-layer OSI model of computer networking. This layer is the protocol layer that transfers data between nodes on a network segment across the physical layer. The data link layer pr ...

encryption device, similar to

VPN Virtual private network (VPN) is a network architecture for virtually extending a private network (i.e. any computer network which is not the public Internet) across one or multiple other networks which are either untrusted (as they are not c ...

, that allows for strong authentication and

encryption In Cryptography law, cryptography, encryption (more specifically, Code, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the inf ...

for data across a wireless medium. Unlike a residential gateway, an enterprise gateway typically has both an

LAN Lan or LAN may refer to: Science and technology * Local asymptotic normality, a fundamental property of regular models in statistics * Longitude of the ascending node, one of the orbital elements used to specify the orbit of an object in space * ...

and

WLAN A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office buildin ...

interface, where the EEG acts a bridge between the two. The client devices have client-side authentication/encryption software, and the EEGs are the encryption termination point in the network. Benefits of these devices include offloading the encryption duties from the access points. Autonomous access points are placed downstream from the EEGs and may act as an 802.1X authenticator.

References

Wireless networking hardware {{Wireless-stub Encryption devices