Private PSK (PPSK) feature on hostapd

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The PPSK feature in hostapd gives the user the choice of providing the PPSKs using a file or using RADIUS.
Having the option of supplying the PPSKs in a text file allows for quick and simplified deployments.

In this section we will look how you can activate PPSK functionality in OpenWrt with a minimum effort.

It can be compared to a door that can be unlocked by people with different keys to gain access to a building.
This is in contrast to a door where everyone has the same key to unlock it and gain access to a building.
The advantage of using different keys is the ease of management.
Suppose you have a small office setup where an employee leave the company on a bad foot and you want to make sure they do not get access to the WiFi network.
Without the support of PPSK you need to:
- Change the shared key on the access point(s).
- Inform all employees that the WiFi key has changed and hopefully they will be smart enough to update any devices that are configured to connect to the office WiFi network.
- Another place where you need to update the WiFi key is any peripherals that are connected to the network, including printers, scanners and cameras.
With PPSK support, you simply revoke the PPSK of employees.
Also using one SSID with multiple keys improves bandwidth utilisation and provides a simplified user experience.

File or RADIUS