802.11 X port-level authentication or user-level authentication

[zillah2004]

I have read many online documents about 802.11x, all that i found they named port-level authentication.

It makes sense for a wired network, since we have got a physical port, then if the supplicant has been authenticated, his port will be open to transfer data.

And same thing with a wireless network, but we do not have physical port, we have got logical port.

I have read one document that mentioned that 802.11 is user-level authentication,,,any comment about this ?

Regards

[Stephen Rodriguez]

Well, it does depend on your perspective there. If you are wired in, then you have "port level" authentication, but it is still the client that has to authenticate in. With a wireless, it's not really a port, you are correct it's logical, but the client authenticates in, and if it passes, it is allowed to use the network.

[zillah2004]

Thanks steprodr

That means in both cases (wired. wireless) a client has to be authenticated to pass through physical port or logical port to be able to access(use)network resources,,,,,

What is my interpretation (correct me) to your reply, that with the wire we call it port level while with wireless (my conclusion, because explicitly you have mentioned that)we do not call it port level (i.e. it is called user level) ?