FCP_FWF_AD-7.4 FCP - Secure Wireless LAN 7.4 Administrator Questions and Answers

Scenario:

The IT department wants to prevent direct communication between wireless stations.

There is one SSID configured in bridge mode (all clients on the same SSID/VLAN, directly bridging to the wired network).

Correct Action:

Block intra-SSID traffic (sometimes called “client isolation” or “intra-SSID privacy”).

This feature prevents wireless clients connected to the same SSID from communicating directly with each other at Layer 2.

Each station can reach the network but cannot reach other wireless clients on the same SSID.

This is the industry-standard method to achieve the stated security goal in a wireless environment, especially in bridge mode.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Create unique SSIDs for each FortiAP device

Impractical and unnecessary for user isolation; users on the same SSID but different APs can still be isolated with intra-SSID blocking.

B. Add an upstream layer 3 device on each FortiAP device

Overkill and not required; this does not directly solve intra-SSID traffic.

D. Drop all local traffic in the wireless network

Too broad; you only want to prevent client-to-client communication, not all local traffic (such as traffic to the gateway).

Summary:

Block intra-SSID traffic is the intended and correct configuration to prevent wireless stations from communicating directly while sharing the same SSID in bridge mode.

Comprehensive Detailed Step by Step Explanation from all your Knowledge and Guides availableExhibit Analysis:

The screenshot displays two FortiAPs (FP231FT and FP23JFT) in the wireless controller’s managed APs list.

Both APs are online and connected via APs.

FP231FT shows active SSIDs (“All Tunnel Mode SSIDs”) and has 11 clients connected.

FP23JFT shows “N/A” for all SSIDs and “0” clients.

Diagnosis:

“N/A” for SSIDs on FP23JFT clearly indicates it is not broadcasting any SSID.

Both APs are running the same OS version and have their respective FortiAP profiles assigned.

Evaluating the Options:

A. Enable the radios on the FAP23JF FortiAP profile.

Correct: If the radios (2.4GHz/5GHz) are disabled in the FortiAP profile, the AP will not broadcast any SSID, resulting in “N/A” and “0 clients”. This is a common issue seen in FortiOS Wireless LAN management.

This matches the symptom, as the AP is online (communicating with the controller), but has no active radio (hence, no SSID is broadcasted).

B. Replace the FortiAP device model to match the other device.

Incorrect. FortiOS supports different models in the same deployment, as long as the correct profile is applied.

C. Disable the override setting on the FortiAP that is preventing it from broadcasting SSIDs.

Misleading. Unless an override has specifically disabled SSID broadcasting, this is not directly indicated by the screenshot. Usually, radio disabled at profile is the root cause.

D. Assign the FAP231F FortiAP profile to the problematic FortiAP device.

Incorrect. The correct profile (FAP23JF) is already assigned to FP23JFT; assigning a mismatched profile can cause more issues and is not best practice.

Guide Reference & Reasoning:

FortiOS Administration Guide – Wireless Section:

When an AP is online but SSIDs are not broadcasted and “N/A” appears for radio slots, it strongly points to the radios being disabled in the FortiAP profile (see Wireless Controller > Managed FortiAPs).

The guide explains that “If the radios are disabled in the profile, the AP will not broadcast any SSID. To resolve, enable the radios (2.4GHz, 5GHz) in the FortiAP profile and reapply or reboot the AP”.

FortiAP Profile Settings:

Go to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles.

Edit the FAP23JF profile.

Check both “Radio 1” and “Radio 2” (enable if disabled).

Save the changes and ensure the profile is pushed to the AP.

Typical Steps to Fix:

Log into the FortiGate.

Navigate to WiFi & Switch Controller > FortiAP Profiles.

Edit the FAP23JF profile.

Under the radio settings, ensure both radios are set to “Enable”.

Apply the changes.

The AP will now broadcast the SSIDs as configured.

Summary:

The problem is caused by disabled radios in the FAP23JF FortiAP profile. Enabling the radios in the profile will allow the AP to start broadcasting SSIDs.

Final Answer: A. Enable the radios on the FAP23JF FortiAP profile.

For advanced wireless troubleshooting:

Capturing air traffic (B): This means performing a wireless packet capture (sniffing), usually via the FortiAP's diagnostic tools (e.g., cw_diag sniff), to see low-level association/authentication issues, interference, or protocol errors.

Reviewing event logs (C): Check event logs on the FortiGate and FortiAP to find authentication failures, disconnections, roaming events, or system messages specific to the wireless station.

A (creating/assigning a new profile) is not typically an advanced troubleshooting step; it's more of a configuration or workaround.

D (collecting power management info) is rarely required except for specific power-saving issues, and is not a primary advanced troubleshooting step.

FortiPresence is Fortinet’s Wi-Fi analytics/cloud presence platform.

FortiAPs can be managed directly by FortiGate or FortiLAN Cloud and connect their analytics/events to the FortiPresence cloud for presence analytics.

FortiSASE and FortiSwitch Manager do not provide FortiPresence integration for APs.

802.1X is the standard for port-based network access control, widely used in enterprise Wi-Fi to:

Authenticate users and devices before granting access to the network.

Authorize network access (optionally placing users into specific VLANs).

It is not for home Wi-Fi (C), does not provide admin privilege (B), and is more complex than open guest Wi-Fi (D).

The scenario involves employees connecting via remote FortiAP (FAP) devices, with a requirement to enforce corporate security policies for all wireless stations at branch/remote sites.

Teleworker topology (also called remote AP, or split-tunnel mode) is designed exactly for this:

FortiAP at remote sites connects to the main office FortiGate via a secure tunnel (CAPWAP over VPN or DTLS).

Traffic destined for corporate resources is tunneled back to the main office for full security inspection and policy enforcement.

Local internet-bound traffic can be split off locally (split-tunnel) or tunneled back as well (full-tunnel), based on policy.

This ensures all employee wireless sessions accessing corporate resources are subject to central security policies, without requiring local IT staff.

Option A (VPN tunnels) is part of the teleworker topology but doesn't by itself ensure wireless security enforcement or policy application for wireless stations—teleworker/split-tunnel is more precise.

Option B is impractical and unnecessary.

Option C moves resources to the cloud, but this does not ensure security enforcement for wireless clients over remote links.

Summary: Teleworker topology on FortiAP allows secure, policy-enforced connectivity from remote sites back to HQ for all wireless stations.