RADIUS

Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service

In plain language

A central server that checks logins for Wi-Fi, VPN and network equipment.

The metaphor

Like a single front desk that checks every visitor's ID for all the entrances.

Going deeper

How it works

Devices ask the server whether a login is valid.
It can also record who connected and when.
Staff get their own logins, so one person can be removed without changing everyone's.
It is common in offices that want better than a shared Wi-Fi password.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A clinic gave all staff one shared Wi-Fi password. When someone left, the password could not be changed without reconnecting every device, so it stayed the same for a year.

How WILDCARD handles it

Network covers the managed firewall and switches that sit behind your provider's modem.

In practice

A company's Wi-Fi checks each person's work login.
A VPN verifies a user against the office directory.
A switch checks a device before enabling a port.

A question owners ask

Do we need one?

It is useful once you have more than a handful of people and want personal Wi-Fi logins that can be turned off individually.

Where WILDCARD handles this

Network

Firewall managed and monitored
Switches kept current
On-prem Active Directory auth

Start with Network

Related terms

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