As promised in Part I of this artic...

As promised in Part I of this article (August 2003) here's the proper and bad news about wireless networks, along with a anticipate at security:

The good news

Cost: The equipment is more expensive than for a wired network, on the contrary the entire cost of risk up and installation is generally far cheaper. (Also, the proces of wiring a building can be extremely disruptive to the building's users.)

Flexibility: You don't have to stopper your device into specific locations, thus you can reconfigure your offices as required.

Roaming: Depending onward how you set up your wireless network, you may be able to roam from single office to another with your laptop without having to log not on and on again.

Extended Coverage: hindrances you access the wireless network anywhere, including the beach, with your laptop. Of course, you ne to make safe you're using a wireless adaptor that's compatible with the local wireless access point. (See Part I.)

The bad news

Standards: generally 802.11b is winning the popularity litigate but standards are still evolving. thus some of the hot, novel wireless technologies being pushed by the agency of vendors today may not be around tomorrow.

Management: More mixed than that of a traditional wired network.

Interference: Can be caused through any devices, like microwaves and cordless phone that emit radio waves in the 24GHz frequent occurrence range (the range used at most wireless networks). Different wireless technologies can also interfere with each other.

Performance: Will degrade a great deal faster, as more users are added, than that of a wired network.

Security

A wireless network onward the beach will have different security requirements than single in kind in an office with important financial information. nevertheless in either case, you'd have to work really hard to achieve the same level of security for a wireless network as for a wired individual Signals from a wireless network will pass by the agency of walls and windows, which means an intruder doesn't on a level need to access your premises to access your network.

Here are about issues and solutions to think about:

WEP: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a security protocol used for 80211b 80211g and 802.11a wireless networks that helps continue out casual intruders. But by means of default, WEP is set to the lowest flat of security or even change the direction ofed off, and there are several moot points with it that make it useless for higher-level security requirements.

8021x and 802.11i: The of recent origin 802.1x standard was developed according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc (IEEE) to provide a framework for authenticating and controlling user access to a preserveed network. But it's only part of the solution to a integral security standard. The 802.11i standard (also an IEEE standard) is generally under development. It incorporates 802 1x and is meant to replace the flawed WEP standard.

802 1x is not further supported by all systems, and 802.11i is still subordinate to development. Upgrading to the 802.11i standard will probably require hardware upgrades.

WPA (Wi-Fi fortifyed Access): The Wi-Fi Alliance discloseed the WPA security standard because the existing security standards (WEP) were inadequate, and the upcoming security standards (8021x and 802.11i) weren't still available. WPA is designed to be forward compatible with the 802.11i standard (802.11i will have WPA version 2 built in). WPA is designed to be a software upgrade, which means you will be able to upgrade your existing equipment to use it, provided the manufacturers of your equipment make the software upgrade available.

VPN and Firewalls: You can add a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to your wireless access point or bring a firewall between your wireless access point and the ease of your network. Better now do both.

Wardriving: Wardriving is when some one roams an area with a laptop scanning for wireless networks to tap into.

Warchalking: Warchalking is when a "wardriver" chalks signs on the pavement or outside of a building to reveal local wireless networks and their horizontals of security. So if you view a collection of strange chalk marks outside your office building, you might have a security puzzle Warchalking and wardriving aren't necessarily meant to be malicious activities. They're for the greatest part just used to create a network of emancipated community wireless networks people can use to access the Internet.

SSID: In order for the wireless network adaptor in your laptop to have relation to a network, it necessitys to know the SSID (service wager identifier) of the network. This could act as a exceedingly basic barrier to unauthorized minute The problem is most wireless access points are stake to broadcast their SSIDs, and many network administrators don't remember to change the SSID of the network from its default value. If an intruder is familiar with the default SSID of a particular brand, he can "walk" right in. Moreover, the SSID is contained in the packets of information sent abroad by the wireless access point, in like manner even if the administrator places up the wireless access point appropriately, an intruder can use a wireless "sniffer" to ferret on the outside the correct SSID.