Wi-Fi

In the world of technology every once in a while something new comes up that creates a boom that can barely be contained. Wi-Fi is the latest in a string of developments that have created such a buzz and does not appear to be slowing down. This technological advancement is still relatively young, just like that majority of the new emerging technologies have been over the last three to four decades. Wi-Fi compliments old technologies and concepts as well as new ones because it is relevant to them all. Understanding the history of Wi-Fi in relation to the technological world it was born to is an important step to learning the present condition of Wi-Fi as well as the future of Wi-Fi. As wonderful as Wi-Fi has been, it is important to note that there are issues related to W-Fi and the use of Wi-Fi ranging from system operations to security concerns. These issues, however, are being dealt with at all times and new solutions are being sought out. This dedication to resolving Wi-Fi Concerns stems from the fact that Wi-Fi is immensely useful and at the present the best possible option in the technology world. While many other sectors of the technology were seeing a downturn related to the impending market slowdown, Wi-Fi was booming (The Economist 1). It is impossible to ignore that Wi-Fi is an ingrained part of our daily lives and its importance cannot be stressed enough. Every location one goes to we are reminded of the significance of Wi-Fi, ranging from coffee shops, airports, campuses, and even doctor’s offices. The computer industry would not be what it is today, especially in relation to the advent of Apple's iPad tablets, smartphones, and laptops, had it not been for the presence and continual presence of Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi is a technology system that allows a user to connect to the internet simply without the use of wires. In a traditional computer, there was, depending on the type of connection, a wire that linked the computer directly into some type of physical location. This was done, and in some instances still done, by phone lines in the dial-up era, or through newer technologies like fiber optic cables. Regardless of the type, these required the user to be physically connected to a location by having their device use cables to access the internet. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, allows an individual to use radio waves to connect to the internet and is therefore not in need of linking directly into a cable. This gives users mobility and freedom and also led to the creation of many newer technologies and devices. Wireless hotspots are locations where individuals can gain access to a Wi-Fi network in a public place, as seen in many cafes and coffee shops. While this is a useful thing, it isn’t without security concerns and flaws.

Devices need to have Wi-Fi technologies built into them to be able to connect to the internet wirelessly. This technology can also be utilized with the advent of wireless cards or adapters that are used with technologies with no built-in Wi-Fi system (network cards and adapters as opposed to technology built directly into the motherboard). Once a device has Wi-Fi capabilities it is simply a matter of linking into Wi-Fi. At home and in office buildings, as well as university campuses there are multiple Wi-Fi options that usually come up when an attempt is made to link into the system. The option will either be to connect to a password-protected Wi-Fi or attempt to get into an unsecured public Wi-Fi. This process is made easier at the aforementioned Wi-Fi hotspots because the business advertises that they have free Wi-Fi and therefore tend to provide a password for patrons to use to link into that particular Wi-Fi service. Generally speaking Wi-Fi is a very user-friendly service that has been made continuously easier over the last decade.

Wi-Fi has a relatively short history in the scheme of technology, but a comparatively long one in comparison to many other emerging technologies. The name itself was born from the use of a branding company that helps create catchy memorable terminology for companies. The history of Wi-Fi can go as far back as the 1970s when researchers were developing technologies to go hand in hand with the advent of computers and information sharing. In the very beginning there were Local Area Networks (LANs) that connected literally local computers within a certain area to each other. This may seem to be quite a distance from the current technology, but the beginning of this concept was to be able to share information without an actual physical connection, and here this idea can be seen (Malykhina 1). This concept eventually led to the creation of what we currently knew as Wi-Fi, also known as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). A decade later in the 1980s, a bandwidth was released for use by those in the technology, science and medical fields (The Economist 1). This act by the FCC in 1985 allowed room for the private and public sectors of IT and technology to come together to be the process of creating something today we cannot live without. Although the FCC decision took place in 1985, real progress towards the modern wireless networks did not start to take form until the 1990s.

The release of the aforementioned bandwidth led to the creation and development of technology that would later be used to create W-Fi. This technology was initially created and used for cashier systems and actually had nothing to do with Wi-Fi, per se. Along the way governing bodies, so to speak, like the Wi-Fi Alliance were created to oversee and establish measures for this new technology. The Wi-Fi Alliance does not actually have to approve every device that claims to be Wi-Fi capable, but it does brand the ones that are verified by them with the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi symbol. The alliance consists of hundreds of companies from around the world that promote Wi-Fi technologies and hardware as a service (Wi-Fi Alliance). This alliance of companies continues to this day to find ways of growing Wi-Fi as a brand and to help lead it towards innovating Wi-Fi to keep it on top of the market and relevant. It is important to have a large non-profit group like this with international members continuing to work and promote the improvement of Wi-Fi because as Wi-Fi expands so do concerns about security as well as the need to make it more and more accessible.

There is no slowdown in the development and marketing of Wi-Fi at the current time. Wi-Fi is being used in 1 in 10 homes when taking the entire world into account (Wi-Fi Alliance). This number is significantly higher when looking at developed nations like the USA. Wi-Fi is simply a way of life and laced into the daily fabric of our entertainment and education. To say it is currently popular would be an understatement of great proportions. There is no need to convince individuals to rely on Wi-Fi or buy Wi-Fi devices, they are flocking to do so. This, in turn, is creating a business environment where there is a competitive market for Wi-Fi technology and a drive for companies to invest in research and development. The constant stream of willing consumers means that technology companies will not stop in any foreseeable future the creation of new technology created for Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi devices so that they can attempt to stand out in the eyes of the consumer. The huge market drive and competition also leads to prices that are increasingly becoming more manageable for every individual. This, in turn, makes Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi devices accessible to an ever-growing number of populations only adding to the feverish and exponential grown of the Wi-Fi sector of business technologies. This has also led to many conflicts as these inventive ideas get bounced around and used in a competitive international market. This can be seen with one of the biggest and most innovative technology companies related to Wi-Fi, CSIRO. This company has been innovating Wi-Fi for many years and has had to battle in court related to some of these innovative ideas (Schubert 1). More important than the fact that there is competition is that Wi-Fi is being fine-tuned by these innovations. The patent case that caused CSIRO so many headaches also led to the creation of the 069 patent that has been utilized in over 5 billion devices since its inception (Schubert 1). This technology is related to problems in Wi-Fi hotspots related to distorted signals caused by bouncing radio waves. These ongoing advancements are indicative of the importance of Wi-Fi.

There is a multitude of advantages and disadvantages to Wi-Fi that affects individual people, businesses as well as the public sector. The name says it all in many ways and Wi-Fi’s are local wireless networks. While this may not seem like the biggest concern, it is an obvious downside to Wi-Fi. There is a range within which the Wi-Fi is strong and past that users are not able to access the speed of services that they need to complete the tasks they hope to accomplish. This downside is constantly being worked on with the research that is being done into Wi-Fi long-range bands and technologies. There are times, however, where Wi-Fi simply cannot meet the perimeter needs of a particular group or organization and it is, therefore, necessary to resort to options other than Wi-Fi. There are also the limitations to speed brought on by the many interferences to Wi-Fi waves, especially in hotspots where there is a significant number of users and devices operating in a small perimeter. The obvious and most useful aspect of Wi-Fi is its ability to be mobile and allows freedom from traditional cables and connections. The importance of this advantage cannot be overlooked. The ability to provide internet access without cables has been and continues to be essential in places where running cables is an impossibility. This can include areas of the world where that is not a possibility, or in buildings where it is improbable to run wires through any part of the structure. The aforementioned disadvantages are constantly being worked on by scientists and IT professional sin conjunction with the Wi-Fi Alliance as well as companies like CSIRO. The direction the Wi-Fi industry is taking right now is the fine-tuning of these operational concerns as well as trying to incorporate Wi-Fi into existing and emerging devices and technology.

With its current status and place in the technology world secure and seemingly irreproachable, Wi-Fi may appear spotless. This, however, is never true, and in the case of Wi-Fi there are some major concerns. While small technical refinements are always needed in technology, there is a bigger concern for Wi-Fi users. Security in the world of Wi-Fi, like many other IT sectors, is an ongoing and growing concern. Matter of fact, it is believed that since 2002 Wi-Fi wireless security concerns have been at the front of the corporate IT world's topics of choice (Prasad 3). There are currently in place plans and systems related to dealing with this issue, but it is in no way perfected as of yet. Internet and computer security have been a concern for many years and the ongoing and daily invention of new cyber-crimes has led to an entirely new market. An entire sector is now devoted to this concern and universities have even incorporated cyber-crimes into both IT programs as well as Criminal Justice programs. There are a few ways in which security is a concern when discussing Wi-Fi. These concerns can change when discussing private home security in relation to Wi-Fi, hotspot security, small business or the government sector. Each one of these has a different concern when it comes to Wi-Fi security and what it means for them personally or professionally.

There are a few different methods that are used to secure a Wi-Fi network and there are usually multiple links in options available in congested spaces like office buildings and professional centers. The most common ones used are WEP, WPA, WPA2, VPN and unsecured. One of the most common ones that are used is WEP type encryptions. WEP refers to “Wired Equivalent Privacy. This encryption has many flaws and has been shown to be susceptible to many breaks in security. The Wi-Fi Alliance announced some time ago that WEP was failing to meet its security goals and was, therefore, being supplanted with the newer more effective WPA and WPA 2. It is important to note that despite this announcement by the Wi-Fi Alliance, there are still millions of private Wi-Fi users who rely on WEP programs for their security online. WPA and WPA2 refer to Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA fixed some of the security concerns and lapses that were found in the WEP system and was stated to be superior to it in protection and security capabilities. While these programs were developed and spearheaded by the Wi-Fi Alliance as a measure to combat the problems associated with WEP, it does not mean that they are flawless either. WPA and WPA2 are also susceptible to certain breaks in security. Researchers have been able to find many flaws related to these systems related to password concerns as well as (WPS) Wi-Fi Protected Setup (Beck and Tews 2). WPS was also spearheaded by the Wi-Fi Alliance and meant to “ease the task” of getting a computer configured on VLAN’s (Viehböck 2011). It was not therefore expected that the WPS would become a cause for major concern in relation to the new WPA and WPA2.

Unsecured connections in terms of Wi-Fi are exactly what they claim to be, unsecured. When searching for a network to connect to an individual may at times see a Wi-Fi option that is listed as an unsecured one, meaning that there is no security password or pin required to piggy-back off of this network. The user then can opt to connect to it and use it anyway despite there generally being a warning that that states the unreliability of said network. The security warning lays out the possibility that any number of individuals can be watching, reading and recording the data that you are seeing and entering on the Wi-Fi connection. Despite the warning there are many unsecured Wi-Fi networks and just as many individuals who choose to risk it and use one regardless of the possibility of security breaches. This can be done for many reasons, but the main one would be that a user needs to have access to the internet from their device and they are not in a hotspot that allows for them to have the password to the protected WEPs or WPAs. This can sometimes lead to problems such as the loss of data, stolen information and crashes caused by hackers and malware, and other times causes no problems at all for the user. This hacker concern also applies to the free Wi-Fi provided at so many locations. One might believe that since there is a password to get into these Wi-Fi networks it is safe to use. The perceived safety is not necessarily a reality. Third-party individuals can and many times are watching the movements of these hotspot Wi-Fi users. All individuals within the hotspot have access to the same system and in the case of a hacker, even novice ones, a big part of the work in terms of security breach has already been done by the hotspot user.

While it may seem that there is no hope or use in using hotspot Wi-Fi, or unsecured Wi-Fi there are precautions that can be taken. The Wi-Fi in these locations is free or open to the public to offer a service deemed useful. It is not intended to be used in any negative or sinister manner, but the reality is that with all of the good that comes with Wi-Fi, it is inevitable that there would also be the bad. Wi-Fi users under these conditions are advised to be smart and not conduct certain transactions and acts over unsecured or public Wi-Fi points. These can include bank transactions, online shopping or even accessing webmail and personal social media accounts. These are important to avoid because there is always the possibility that the free or unsecured Wi-Fi can connect an individual to a rogue access point where you will be required to re-enter usernames and passwords. At this lapse in security a Wi-Fi user is simply handing over their personal information to a third party. Again it must be noted that businesses that provide free Wi-Fi do so with the best intentions in mind. The problem is that in their excitement to offer this wildly popular service, they forget to consider adequate security measures to stop hackers and other third-party data loss. This “piggy-backing” by non-authorized users can cause problems for Wi-Fi users and providers.

Another option in Wi-Fi and internet security that is available is the VPN. These are generally used within companies that have multiple computers and locations. These businesses many times are located in places where there are multiple other businesses as well as individual Wi-Fi users. VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network”. There are numerous benefits to this type of connection because they are immensely safe and allow for a cost-effective way for businesses to access office data and information. The public internet is used to facilitate the use of the VPN that operates alongside and with it to connect multiple locations across a long range of distances (WANs). These VPN’s allow for added security as well as the ability for employees to link into the company’s data and internal programs. This not only includes office to office locations but also remote users that can connect to the pre-set VPN from a multitude of locations, although generally only one remote user at a time can access the system. VPN’s provide security in many ways and it starts with the authentication of both endpoints of the tunnel which helps to minimize the entry of unauthorized individuals into the VPN. Sophisticated firewalls and tunnel protection tools like SSTP and SSL are also utilized in an effort to ensure that users who should not have access to the VPN are cut off from entry at all levels and points of the tunnels. Overall, VPNs provide added levels of security to Wi-Fi systems that are used in companies that need to have multiple location access as well as remote user access.

Even with all of these different security options, there are still risks ranging from sophisticated hackers to lazy piggy-backers. These individuals can lead to the stealing of sensitive data as well as conducting illegal acts using the personal information and accounts of the individual whose Wi-Fi security has been compromised. This remains a huge topic of concern and research for Wi-Fi users, professionals and innovators. It is largely believed by some that Wi-Fi at present cannot be completely safe and secure and may never be so (Prasad 1-2). This concern can be seen in the many different Wi-Fi security options that have come out and the subsequent failure of any of them to provide solid security measures for Wi-Fi security. Despite all of this, there are measures available to protect Wi-Fi users available that do their best to protect individuals as well as companies. Encryption programs and passwords, as well as creative SSID’s, can encourage Wi-Fi users in public places and deter unwanted users. VPNs and WAPs can also be utilized in conjunction with anti-virus and firewall software to minimize loss and vulnerability. In addition to the precautions available, the constant increase in Wi-Fi technology and interest ensures that the Wi-Fi Alliance, as well as many other businesses will continue to look for solutions to security concerns related to Wi-Fi.

The future of Wi-Fi appears to be brighter than many technologies that have come out over the last decade. Despite the concerns over security Wi-Fi continues to have the confidence of a majority of users. While many new technologies come in and out like fads, Wi-Fi has not and it does not appear it will. This is because Wi-Fi encompasses all of the things that those who seek technology need. The key to success in any business sector is to grow the base that uses a service or product and Wi-Fi appears to be universally loved and accepted. From the immensely tech-savvy to the layman, Wi-Fi is useful. Therein lies the success of Wi-Fi; it is understandable by a wide range of users. Few technologies have been able to do this over the last three decades. Despite the fact that new technologies like tablets and smartphones are widely popular, they do not come close to being as universally popular as Wi-Fi.

It is also because of Wi-Fi that devices and emerging technologies can enjoy the success and growth that they do. Everything from the previously mentioned smart-devices, to game consoles and medical technologies, benefit from Wi-Fi. Without Wi-Fi the revolutionary changes seen in businesses like the medical field could not take place. Patients come into offices and seamlessly check themselves in for appointments and update information without the use of paper, all thanks to Wi-Fi’s capabilities. Within that same vein entire practices operate EMR systems that rely on Wi-Fi and VPN systems for their fluidity and accuracy. This technology revolution thanks to Wi-Fi is also applicable in the legal field as well as the government, education and every other possible business. Information is available at any time in any place to any demographic and this has been indispensable and there is not one scenario that can be thought of in the modern world that can or would change that reality.

Wi-Fi is understood and part of the daily language of young and old users and covers every possible demographic. While for many non-technology savvy individuals new programs and devices seem unapproachable, Wi-Fi is something that is within their grasps, and easily. Wi-Fi’s long and simultaneously short history makes it an amazing creation that has impressively grown at a time when other markets were slowing or crashing outright. The technology and IT sectors, both business and personal, can expect no slowdown in innovation and refinement of Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi devices and uses.

Works Cited

“A Brief History of Wi-Fi”. The Economist. Science Technology Quarterly. Q2 2004. Web. 17, Oct. 2013.

Wi-Fi Alliance n.p., n.d. WiFi Alliance. http://www.wi-fi.org/about/organization. Web. 18, Oct. 2013.

Beck, Martin and Tews, Erik. “Practical attacks against WEP and WPA: Attacks on the WEP protocol”. TU-Dresden Nov. 8, 2008. Web. 17, Oct. 2013.

Malykhina, Elena. “Wireless Internet Growth.” Wireless Technology Magazine 12 February 2007. Web. 18, Oct. 2013.

Prasad, Jaya. “Wireless Security, Myth or Reality”. Journal of American Science 3-2 (2007): 1-4. Print.

Schubert, Misha. “Australian Scientists’ cash in on Wi-Fi invention”. The Sydney Morning Herald. April 1, 2012. Web. 16, Oct. 2013

Viehböck, Stefan “Brute Forcing Wi-Fi Protected Set-Up: When Poor Design Meets Poor Implementation” Wordpress Publication. 26 December 2011. Web. 18, Oct. 2013.