WiFi.com Blog

October 12, 2008.

WiFi is an established wireless Internet technology. It is established because there is a WiFi workgroup which certifies wifi hardware and sets the specifications for every new rendition of the technology. It is important to note WiFi was, and still is, meant for local area netowrking (LAN). To this end, it is not meant to connect you to the Internet at great distances. Most wifi hardware gives you a wireless connection between 100-500 feet (this is an average).

WiFi security, or the lack thereof, is a misnomer. WiFi has a number of security options to help you secure your wireless connection to the Internet. It is true if you do not secure the connection or use the basic security (WEP), the opportunity for nefarious activity may be higher. However, you must consider a wifi connection is a short-range technology and a potential breach by hackers can only be achieved by someone being within range of your wifi hardware. Regardless, if setting up your own wifi network you should consider using WPA or WPA2 for securing the network. In the very least use WEP for basic security and try not to be liberal about who you give the passcode to.

Here at WiFi.com, we are creating an environment in which you can secretly share your WEP passcode with friends on various social networks and your email contact lists. This is one of a number of features we are working on here at WiFi.com – check back often to learn more. Also, check out our support forum.

When it comes to the 802.11 standard (WiFi), there are two types of security, which can be deployed on the wireless network. The most common and least secure method is Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and the much more secure Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). It is important to note: Independent research conducted by wifi.com staff indicates better than 50% of home-based wireless networks and 40% of wifi hotspot providers do not deploy security measures.

For home-based and most other consumer-grade wireless networks, security is controlled at the access point or router. The current security settings on wifi-capable access points are; none, WEP, WPA, and WPA2. The key difference between WPA and WPA2 is the latter applies an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which has been adopted by the U.S. government.

In general WEP security will keep the average person from using your network. However, in August of 2001 a published article explained how the WEP encryption can be attacked and the passkey recovered in about 10 minutes time. Thus, if someone really wants in, they can gain access to the network and ultimately, your computer.

When securing a home network, wifi.com recommends using the WPA2 (AES) option. With the adoption of the next 802.11 standard (802.11n) the creation of a secure environment using WPA2 (AES) will become easier for the end user.