WiFi and Security Questions

girlgeek · 12-01-2003

Hi Dravyk. Somehow I completely missed this one.

Wireless is too convenient to discard. If you have multiple systems, or just enjoying carrying your laptop from room to room, it is definitely the way to go. 802.11g (54Mbps) is supposed to be backwards compatible with 802.11b (11Mbps), so either one of those should suit your needs. I like the 2.4GHz, but have found that my 2.4GHz cordless phone can interfere with the signal when I am talking on the phone. With 802.11g, you will get to take advantage of the faster transfer rate, while doing data transfers between machines.

As far as hackers taking advantage of poorly configured WAPS, that is true in a lot of cases. These things come with generic admin passwords tht people don't change, and leave them broadcasting the SSID as Linksys, DLink or something that gives the attacker a huge clue as to what the default admin password is. Many people do not enable WEP, and then snivel when their packets are sniffed and they are hacked. Even with WEP, there isn't a key I can't crack within a few hours with tools easily downloaded from the internet.

If you're going to get one, do some reading on IPSec and VPN. It's not hacker-proof, but it's definitely a far better solution that WEP only. Hope this helps.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

12-01-2003	#1
girlgeek Members Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 266	Hi Dravyk. Somehow I completely missed this one. Wireless is too convenient to discard. If you have multiple systems, or just enjoying carrying your laptop from room to room, it is definitely the way to go. 802.11g (54Mbps) is supposed to be backwards compatible with 802.11b (11Mbps), so either one of those should suit your needs. I like the 2.4GHz, but have found that my 2.4GHz cordless phone can interfere with the signal when I am talking on the phone. With 802.11g, you will get to take advantage of the faster transfer rate, while doing data transfers between machines. As far as hackers taking advantage of poorly configured WAPS, that is true in a lot of cases. These things come with generic admin passwords tht people don't change, and leave them broadcasting the SSID as Linksys, DLink or something that gives the attacker a huge clue as to what the default admin password is. Many people do not enable WEP, and then snivel when their packets are sniffed and they are hacked. Even with WEP, there isn't a key I can't crack within a few hours with tools easily downloaded from the internet. If you're going to get one, do some reading on IPSec and VPN. It's not hacker-proof, but it's definitely a far better solution that WEP only. Hope this helps.