An apparatus and method for location based wireless client authentication is described. The method includes the receipt of an authentication/access request from a wireless client desiring access to a wireless network. Once the request is received, a spatial location of the client is identified. Once the physical location of the client is identified, compliance with the authentication/access request is performed according to the identified spatial location of the device. For example, in one embodiment, when the spatial location of the client falls within predefined wireless network boundaries, the client is generally granted network access. The granted access may include a possible key exchange for unidentified clients, or challenge and response authentication for identified clients. In other words, wireless clients that have gained access to a certain physical location are assumed to have passed through some other form of physical authentication and, hence, are deemed trustable.