This invention describes systems and methods for combining the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructure and Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems (WIPS) by leveraging a common radio platform equipped with more than one WLAN radio and a unified management system. The invention provides all the benefits of the WLAN, without sacrificing the 24×7 dedicated security monitoring and performance troubleshooting available from an overlay WIPS system, while reducing the deployment cost and management complexity, by sharing a common hardware platform for the WLAN Access Point (AP) and WIPS sensor and leveraging an integrated management system.