What is CAPsMAN?

MikroTik’s Controlled Access Point system Manager (CAPsMAN) allows centralization of wireless network management and if necessary, data processing. When using the CAPsMAN feature, the network will consist of a number of ‘Controlled Access Points’ (CAP) that provide wireless connectivity and a ‘system Manager’ (CAPsMAN) that manages the configuration of the APs, it also takes care of client authentication and optionally, data forwarding.

Why use CAPsMAN?

When a CAP is controlled by CAPsMAN it only needs the minimum configuration required to allow it to establish a connection with CAPsMAN. Functions that were conventionally executed by an AP (like access control, client authentication, etc.) are now executed by CAPsMAN. The CAP device now only has to provide the wireless link layer with encryption/decryption.

Depending on the configuration, data is either forwarded to CAPsMAN for centralized processing (default) or forwarded locally at the CAP itself (#Local_Forwarding_Mode). 

CAPsMAN features

• RADIUS MAC authentication
• WPA/WPA2 security
• TBA 

How to set up CAPsMAN:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVTsa59ijD4?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Source:

• http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:CAPsMAN
• http://mum.mikrotik.com/presentations/TR14/mani.pdf