Community weekly poll: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their..
- 4/13/05 12:23 PM
Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their..
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 4/13/05 12:23 PM
Do you think Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their customers about security?
Yes
No (please tell us why)
I don't do Wi-Fi
In my case...
by lopodias - 4/15/05 3:25 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In my home when they came to install a wi-fi network they just did not explain how to use security although I asked them about it.
Do you think Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informi
by bpines - 4/15/05 3:56 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
No. The only things that I have learned about Wi-Fi I have learned from CNET. Mainly the Wireless class that is just ending.
DSL's WiFi Vendor doesn't provide setup support
by jluchford - 4/15/05 5:16 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have Verizon DSL and they do give the manufacture's manual for the WiFi router, the default setup is to plug everything in. The manual explains HOW to setup WEP but asking the vendor about the modem got me "Your ISP provides support"
Verizon had no explaination about IP address -which seems ALL vendors use the same for internal ethernet and they did not know why the WiFi IP was different on the same router. Chainging the WiFi IP number to match the ISP default (which I read ALL ISP uses on setup) makes a known address for WiFi hackers to try.
The default setup is to broadcast WiFi openly to anyone in range.... The only security in that case, which most people have, is if your neighbor isn't close enough to connect via your line.
I don't think so
by pb2 - 4/15/05 5:18 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I don't think that they advertise security. When I bought my wireless router I didn't know what was a WEP key or what was the difference between 128 bit and 64 bit Encryption. It is by mostly trial and error that I learn the importance of these things.
No! Not at all!
by garblefish - 4/15/05 5:53 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Asking someone ANYTHING at the local electronics store is a waste of time. Usually I have to tell them. All they ever seem to know is what is stated on the box. Same goes for the ISP "help desk". My experience has been that if I want to know what something is or how something works, I do research on the internet to find it. I've always felt that I'm a very informed person when it comes to a computer. I'm not a "guru", just very informed. But I always learn something new from CNET and other similar forums.
You have to make it easy
by jcharnes - 4/15/05 6:18 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Most users read the quick start guide with a new piece of hardware. If they are successful with that level of instruction, they never crack the manual (or CDROM based doc). Security should be clearly and prominently addressed in every quick start guide.
No
by Themisive - 4/15/05 6:30 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
They seem all too eager to sell the product, no information such as how susceptible to outside monitoring by a third party (eg someone listening in) seems to be available, nor is any information available as to the radius of the radio "envelope".
The one thing that DOES come through is profit! They don't seem to care how that profit is made, even to the extent of giving misleading data in some cases.
I have seen how easy it is to access a Wi-Fi system, and for that reason, I only access the internet for short periods, and ALL my computer equipment is both hard-wired and has a good up-to-date firewall system for the same reason.
No WPA support on new hardware?!? What are they drinking?
by Jamie314 - 4/15/05 8:44 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In this day in age, when WEP keys have been largely criticised for rubbish security, what are these companies even thinking with producing a product without the latest and more secure WPA standard by default?
When I take adapters out of the box, they should be default on WPA - not only is it more secure, it is also easier to use... you don't have to enter a cryptic hex key on every machine, just a passphrase.
Absolutely nuts!
Jamie
Vendor Support for Wi-Fi
by genirberg - 4/15/05 9:30 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've purchased my office's equipment from CompUSA near my office. The young sales people seem to agitate for a discussion no longer than 2 minutes. I like tech talk and make them talk longer, but they want to hand me the box and move on ASAP. I receive all my tech support from a patient and knowledgeable IT professional @ $70/hour.
No I don't
by JosePablo58 - 4/15/05 10:36 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The reason is that they do not inform you about the default set up as being without security at all.
Perhaps this does not apply to all. Excuses for the few that do inform.
I don't yet have wi-fi, but I can certainly
by drpruner - 4/15/05 1:26 PM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
read the news. Every time a new gadget is introduced, crackers start invading it. Mfrs. still haven't got ahead of this curve; not on preventing, not on notifying. Caveat emptor.
Regards, Doug in New Mexico
No
by FrenchyHey - 4/16/05 6:45 AM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
They lack the proper example as this is new technologies when people in general still cope with home wire network in general you could see that there is lack of concrete example.
I find the explanation technical but without a example at the end.
Writen for expert by expert is what I have experienced in general.
No! Mfg./Consumer fear factor and Make it Easy.
by bunkey91405 - 4/18/05 7:48 PM In reply to: Do Wi-Fi hardware vendors do a good job of informing their.. by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First, Mfg. fearing, that consumers will fear, wireless networking, Wi-Fi, if they find out access to your network is pretty easy to do with just a compatible access point card and proximity to connect. Second, making a Wi-Fi network secure is further steps and complications to the installation of Wi-Fi and many consumers will think it, too complicated and won't buy. This is why, a friend, tells me, he detects some six Wi-Fi networks and half have no security activated. I detect three networks from my Wi-Fi and two are unprotected with one, that didn't change the default SSID, the mfg.'s name.
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