What is the purpose of station isolation in a wireless network?

Station isolation serves the critical function of preventing direct traffic between wireless clients on the same network. This feature is particularly important in public Wi-Fi environments, such as cafes or airports, where multiple users connect to the same access point. By isolating clients from each other, the network enhances security and privacy, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to a user's device or data.

When station isolation is enabled, devices can still communicate with the access point and access external resources such as the internet, but they cannot communicate directly with each other. This restriction is essential for protecting sensitive information and preventing potential attacks, such as man-in-the-middle attacks, that could occur if clients could see or interact with one another.

The other options do not accurately reflect the primary purpose of station isolation. Options regarding data speed, simultaneous connections, and SSID changes do not relate to the key function of maintaining client privacy and security within the network.