What Is the Difference Between Portal Authentication and 802.1X Authentication?
Portal authentication and 802.1X authentication are different at the network side. Portal authentication is simple but has poor information security. 802.1X authentication is complex to install and configure but ensures high information security. The two authentication modes are used based on service types. 802.1X authentication is recommended for scenarios requiring high security. The combination of portal authentication and 802.1X authentication is used to meet requirements of different service on the existing networks. The following table shows the comparisons between portal authentication and 802.1X authentication.
Item |
Portal |
802.1X |
|---|---|---|
Client |
Only requires a browser and does not require a client. |
Requires a dedicated 802.1X client. |
Server |
Requires a portal server. |
Requires a dedicated RADIUS server. |
Installation and configuration |
Requires no configuration and is easy to use. |
Requires multiple configuration steps. |
Encryption |
Does not encrypt data. |
Uses dynamic WEP encryption. |
Security |
Passwords entered on web pages are encrypted by SSL. Network traffic is not encrypted. No other security measures are required. |
802.1X authentication provides higher security than portal authentication. 802.1X encapsulates authentication packets in EAP format and supports multiple encryption algorithms. EAP-TLS, EAP-MD5, and EAP-SIM authentication modes are used based on the site requirements. Certificates are obtained to authenticate clients and servers. |