Recently, there has been a surge in private non-commercial and business usage of wireless networks. These systems, are also known as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Zones or 802.11 Networks. The systems are so named by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 802.11 is the specification used by engineers to assure standardization and connectivity of wireless local access networks (WLAN).
Wireless Hot Spot
One wireless Internet provider will attempt to establish a wireless network that will provide free Internet access anywhere you may roam from the Hillsborough River to the Port of Tampa. With downtown Tampa set to become a wireless hot spot, those with wireless 802.11 series capability will have Internet access anywhere downtown. That should bring a surge of people scanning the airwaves seeking nefarious access. As some in office buildings, apartments, and condominiums know, many of these wireless connections are not secure.
Linksys, a division of networking giant Cisco Systems, manufactures a popular line of 802 series wireless networking products. Security features are built in to most wireless networking devices. Implementation of basic wireless security will also make access more difficult for users, both authorized and unauthorized. Unfortunately, wireless networking systems are configured for ease of use and not for prevention of access by unauthorized users. Fortunately, there are features available to limit access.
With downtown Tampa set to become a wireless hot spot, those with wireless 802.11 series capability will have Internet access anywhere downtown. That should bring a surge of people scanning the airwaves seeking nefarious access.
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Easy Unauthorized Access
The default setting for many wireless devices is to allow broadcasting of the Service Set Identifier (SSID). The SSID makes it easy for users to scan, find access, and identify systems on the wireless spectrum. Experts at Linksys "recommend that you change your SSID to something unique and not something related to your company or the networking products you use." When taken out of the box, wireless devices have factory or default settings. The default SSID for Linksys products is widely known, and systems broadcasting that ID are easier to access.
Media Access Control (MAC) addresses are assigned to many computer peripherals. The MAC address is similar to a serial number attached to a piece of hardware. A wireless network can limit access to those with specific MAC addresses. Linksys suggests that users enable MAC address filtering. This will limit wireless access to those with authorized MAC addresses. This will also make it more difficult for someone to access your network.
Encryption is also an option available in a number of flavors, with a plethora of equally obscure abbreviations. Unless you want to share your Internet connection with those seeking access and compromise your security, be sure and watch your SSID's and MAC addresses.
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