CISCO. Wifi Security. ISOLATION

Purpose

Isolate the elements of a Wi-Fi network from each other.

In Cisco-managed wireless environments (such as those using Wireless LAN Controllers, or WLCs), client isolation refers to preventing devices connected to the same wireless network from communicating directly with each other. This is typically achieved through features like:

• P2P Blocking (Peer-to-Peer Blocking): Found in the advanced settings of a WLAN profile. When enabled (e.g., set to Drop), it blocks direct communication between WiFi clients connected to the same access point managed by the same WLC.

• AP Isolation (common in consumer-grade or SMB routers): Prevents clients connected to the same access point from seeing or interacting with each other. This is useful in public or shared environments like cafés, hotels, or conferences, where you want to prevent attacks like ARP spoofing or traffic sniffing.

Steps

While there isn’t a literal command called ISOLATION, the effect is achieved through configurations such as:

• P2P Blocking Action in the WLAN settings → can be set to Drop or Forward.

• On switches, a similar effect is achieved using switchport protected, but in WiFi it’s handled at the SSID and controller level.

recommended for

• In public or shared networks where clients shouldn’t interact.

• In enterprise environments with strict security policies.

• To protect IoT or smart devices that don’t need to communicate with each other.

by GoN | Published: Oct 2025 | Last Updated: