Wi-Fi Upgrades
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Today Tom asks:
I have an old router using 802.11b. For security I have WEP and MAC address filtering. I have to ask, is this good enough or should I be considering an upgrade?
Yes you should upgrade for two fairly significant reasons:
- The download speeds on 802.11b is pretty bad.
- WEP encryption may keep casually passersby from using your wireless connection, but this is NOT secure in any way.
These days, there are plenty of great options for new wireless routers, each with advantages over what you are using now. So I would do some research to see which current models are offering you with the features you are currently looking for. In the end, you really ought to be using something that is providing you with a decent set of QoS (quality of service) settings along with WPA security options.
Do you have an IT-related question? Perhaps you are just burnt out on writing on the walls with crayons? Whatever the comments may be, drop me a line, and you too can “Just Ask Matt!” Please address comments to the comments section above, my email address is for questions - thanks!
2 Comments
Davis McCarn
May 21st, 2008
at 4:49am
Matt,
I hate to say it; but, I disagree.
The MAC filtering is keeping foreign users from being able to connect so, unless the attacker gets a valid MAC address to use, he can hack all he wants and won’t get anywhere!
Further 802.11B is faster than even Roadrunner (at least here in Charlotte) meaning he won’t get one whit of a spped improvement in surfing. If he has a home network and does extensive backups or file sharing, that might change things; but, regardless, the answer his question of “should he upgrade” needs more information.
Matt Hartley
May 21st, 2008
at 12:15pm
Davis: I will yield the 802.11b point to a limited extent as you may be right depending on the companies involved, but MAC filtering is one of the biggest jokes in wireless security.
With respect , it is an accepted reality by most IT professionals that MAC filtering is extremely weak. It’s fine when used with something worthwhile perhaps to double things up and it is even better than an open network. But overall, entirely too much trust has been put into something that can be hacked into a growing number of 14 years old kids bored with looking for summer work online. ;)
Hacking MAC filtering is so simple, even a caveman can do it. The bounty of online “how-tos” speak for themselves. To be totally secure, you would obviously go wired. But WPA is indeed, worth the upgrade by itself as WEP and MAC filtering are two very weak means of securing a network with any serious intent.