Tips: WiFi Security for Home Networks

Security is a huge concern for anyone setting up a WiFi network, as anyone who is close enough to the hotspot can break into your system and access the information. Therefore it is important that suitable security measures are adopted along with setting up a WiFi network, whether at home or workplace.

Here are a few tips that can help you establish reasonably good security measures for your home or small office WiFi network, with a standard wireless router and one or more roaming access points. 

Change the router’s default name and password

 

This is the most fundamental step, as intruders can easily find out the default name and password of the manufacturer. In fact most of the manufacturers stick to the IP addresses 192.168.1.1 or 192.16.2.1. Therefore ensure to rename the router and have a strong password to access the router configuration software. You may even consider changing the IP addressing. 

Disable Peer-to-Peer Networks

 

Go for the infrastructure mode on all access points and do not allow the ad-hoc mode that would permit intruders to enter your network through a legitimate user of your network. 

Do not broadcast your router’s network ID

 

In technical terms, this is called disabling SSID (Service Set Identifier) broadcast. A wireless hotspot access point will regularly – as often as ten times per second- broadcast a beacon signal that announces its presence. It is possible to find information such as strength of the signal, the access point’s functional capabilities and the SSID from the beacon. Therefore it is advisable for any private WiFi hotspot to disable this beacon. This way, only those who already know the SSID can connect with the hotspot.

This method is not completely foolproof, as it is still possible for seasoned hackers to detect such closed networks. However this way you will at least be doing what best you can do. 

Identify and approve all your authorized users in advance

 

This is made possible by turning on the Media Access Control (MAC) addressing filter in your router. This is a standard procedure with most WiFi gateways. Each connectible device (laptops, PDAs, computers, Wi-Fi cards etc) has a unique MAC address. By pre-defining which MAC addresses can access your network, you can prevent intruders from connecting with your resources.

This again is not foolproof, as it is still possible for hackers to intercept the wireless data packets as they travel from your network to an authorized user. And with these data packets, the hacker also gets the SSID and the MAC address of the authorized user. The hacker can then easily use this MAC address to help his system look like an accepted user. 

Use wireless data encryption

Use either WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) or WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption. It has been found that WEP is relatively easy to crack however some protection is still better than none at all. WPA and its more recent version WPA2 are safer bets, as they require all the devices including the source as well as the clients be set to its code.

Regardless of which encryption you use, it is more important to change your encryption as often as possible. 

Check router logs regularly for unauthorized users 

Wi-Fi gateways usually show the MAC addresses of current users on a status screen. Many gateways can also keep a log of the users. Scout around regularly for anything that looks suspicious, like an unauthorized user staying connected for long- and not connected because he happens to pass by. Change the encryption if you spot anything that maybe suspicious.

You can also install a packet sniffer like Ethereal that not only shows if unauthorized users are accessing your information but also shows what information they are getting. 

Set up a strong firewall

 

The steps we discussed so far can only prevent a wireless user from accessing the information in your network. In other words, WEP and WPA encryption protect only data in the air. They do not take care of a hacker breaking into your hotspot from the wired end.

Standard home networking routers have built-in firewalls and they usually monitor incoming traffic. Typically, they block all incoming ports. There are also Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewalls that can report attacks, intrusions and all suspicious activities.

The standard firewalls can take care of your requirements in most cases. However if you are part of peer-to-peer file sharing networks, you need to take special precautions. TCP ports 135, 137, 138, 139 and 445 are best blocked from external access. You would also do well to disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Personal firewalls are also worth considering. 

Use passwords for your computers and files

This aspect is typically ignored in home networks, but can easily add more security. You may choose to password to your computer or special files or areas. It makes sense to choose passwords that are not easy to guess.

Make sure to preserve sensitive or confidential files in folders that are set to authorized access. All the new operating systems like Windows 2000, Windows XP and Mac OS X have built-in password capability. 

Segment the wired and wireless networks

 

Designate your wireless access points as separate subnets with firewalls in between them and the main network. Also make sure that your community names are not easy to guess, as these get broadcasted with network management tools like SNMP.

Switch off your connectible devices when you are not using them

The logic is simple. No one can access your laptop or computer when it is switched off. If you have multiple users to your network, you may need to leave the wired connection on even when you are not using them. But you can still switch off your own PC or laptop. 

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VoIP : Voice Over Internet Protocol Technology

                             

VoIP or voice over internet Protocol is that technology which makes it possible to make phone calls through the internet. This technology is given many common names as internet phone service or digital phone service or broadband phone service.

Traditional landlines use the Public Switched telephone network, which involves high company fees to that is why they are expensive. However while making VoIP calls no such fees is involved because the calls are made through a broadband connection which routes the calls over the World Wide Web. This is the primary reason that such calls are very cheap.

There could be misconceptions that through VoIP you can make calls only on internet phones, this is not the case you can make calls on any phone service using internet phones. This makes it very flexible and a very economic option.

Two types of internet phone services that are very popular these days are software VoIp and hardware VoIp. Both of these programs use the internet to make phone calls but the hardware program uses a small adapter kind of device to process calls, whereas the software VoIp program uses the computer and special software for the calling process.

Although both of these services are economical solutions as compared to landlines but both are suited to serve specific needs. Ahead are explained both the techniques and their suitability for various circumstances.

Software Based Program-

This program works through your computer so utilize this you need to have a Pc and sound card, speakers and a microphone at all times. So, this type of service is best for occasional use or while traveling. To get the best results from this service it is recommended that you use headset with microphone. Or you could make use of USB or Internet phones that are special kinds of phone designed for this purpose.

Once the internet connection is established then you need to use the special software based VoIp program for making and receiving calls. Although, this service can be used on a dial up connection too, but it is better to have a broadband connection. Another benefit that can be availed in this service is that majority of the VoIp software based programs allow you to download their programs for free and set up a free account.

Mostly people use this service for making long distance international calls as they can be made at very cheap rates. The incoming on these lines is free and you are charged only when you make calls outside. There are many programs to choose form, Net2phone, Webphone etc.

Hardware Based Program –

This service is more user friendly as the requirement of computer is not there, normal phone instruments can be used to make these calls. This service is more economical for home and work places and is being widely used as a substitute for the traditional landlines. When referring to Internet phone service or Digital Phone Service then people are referring to the Hardware based VoIp program.

Whichever company you take your subscription from will provide you a small device that is an adaptor which on the one end connects to the internet and on the other connects to the phone. This adapter routes and connects all calls to and from the internet.

There are a variety of programs to chose from ranging form the limited period plans for 200- 500 minutes for local and long distance to unlimited plans which cost from $18- $30 which users find more economical. There is a variety of service providers in the hardware VoIp programs like Vonage, Packet8, AT&T Callvantage etc.

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Will WiMAX Replace DSL?

Introduction 

There has been a lot of hype about WiMAX as the next generation technology that will wipe out wired internet connectivity. The contention is that, it is far easier and more cost effective to set up transmission towers than continuously extend the cables for last mile connectivity. However there are a good number of people who are more conservative in their evaluation. The skeptics question the commercial viability of the new technology and cite earlier instances of wireless internet technologies failing to make it at the market.

The Facts about WiMAX 

WiMAX is the acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.It is a set ofstandards that enables high speed wireless internet access possible over relatively large areas (up to 50 km radius from the source). WiMAX can provide up to 1Mbps downstream capacity.

Attempts have been going on since 1999 to develop technologies that offer broadband services through wireless transmission. Most of these technologies failed to capture the mass market because of the high costs of equipment. This is where WiMAX can make a difference.

In the first place, technical advances have made non-line-of-sight propagation possible, thus increasing the range of transmission. The IEEE 802.16-2004 standards ensure low interference transmission over a relatively large area. This means that a single transmission tower can service up to 60 businesses at the speed of a T1 line, or hundreds of homes at DSL speeds.

Secondly, the WiMAX Forum has been formed to work out interoperability of IEEE802.16 implementations. The Forum will create implementation profiles and certification programs. This ensures that the technology is launched in an organized manner.

Last but not the least WiMAX has the full backing of Intel. Intel and Proxim are developing components that are WiMAX compatible.

What This Means 

All of these have implications for the commercial viability of WiMAX. Currently providing last mile connectivity is the most expensive element to the service provider in terms of material, manpower and time. Setting up transmission powers can prove to be a more inexpensive, one-time investment. Providing connection to an entire high-rise or community can now be achieved in a matter of one or two business days. The service provider is subsequently able to reduce the bill to the end user.

The backing of Intel is another significant factor. Mass manufacture of WiMAX compatible chips will bring down the cost of receptor equipment, another advantage for the consumer.

Stumbling Blocks 

So far is technology. WiMAX looks like an excellent option in countries and regions where wired broadband is not yet commonly available, or difficult to establish due to geographical challenges. However the IEEE 802.16 (fixed point-to-point) may not penetrate markets where wired connectivity is ubiquitous. It is the IEEE 802.16e (for mobile wireless access) that these regions are likely to embrace.

There has been a lot of excitement about the possibility of bringing diverse services as telephony, video and data under one umbrella with WiMAX. The possibility also has commercial challenges that need to be tackled. It calls for better streamlining of back office operations of the players involved. Service providers will have to work together to develop single-point billing solutions to the consumer as well as efficient mutual settlement systems.

The Overall Picture 

Economies of scale is what will make all the difference. Cheap availability of WiMAX enabled equipment and low operating costs to the incumbent operators paint a very attractive picture. However the old commercial systems are not equipped to handle the billing and settlement challenges that WiMAX poses. This has to change. That achieved, WiMAX can grow as a powerful supplementary system to the existing DSL structure and eventually replace it.

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What is WiMAX?

 

Introduction

What is WiMAX? Simply put WiMAX is, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, a technology standard that enables high speed wireless internet. In other words, WiMAX combines the high speed of a broadband connection with the convenience of mobile internet connectivity. WiMAX provides wireless broadband access up to a radius of 50 kilometers (30 miles) for fixed receivers and 5-15 kilometers (3-10 miles) for mobile receivers.

How does WiMAX work?

 

WiMAX needs setting up of a tower to establish microwave connections with the users. This operates in the same way as a cell phone tower. In the case of WiMAX, the tower is connected to internet through a high speed cable like a T3 line. The difference from broadband is that here the bandwidth does not have to be divided using wires.

WiMAX is in a way an advanced version of WiFi, a similar technology. Whereas WiFi allows a network within a radius of 30-100 meters (100-300 feet), WiMAX connectivity can be extended over a radius of up to 50 kilometers. This high speed data transfer over a much larger area is made possible by lessening interference using the IEEE 802.16 Air Interface Standard. Currently WiMAX operates on both licensed and non-licensed frequencies.

Advantage and Applications.

 

As it is possible to use WiMAX over longer distances, this technology may come in handy in creating city wide networks. It is also better suited than WiFi for large area public places like airports, college and university campuses and large office set ups. It also provides for greater mobility to users. This way WiMAX may be a good option for people on the move using gadgets like laptops, iPods and PDAs.

As WiMAX follows a point-to-multipoint architecture, it is an ideal solution for delivering broadband to places where it would not be viable to establish wired connections. Rural areas and high rises are examples for this situation. Currently this last mile part of the connectivity is the biggest stumbling block to broadband providers, in terms of cost and manpower requirements. WiMAX can bring down the costs and subsequently make internet connectivity cheaper to the end user.

Another advantage over some other wireless technologies is that WiMAX does not need a direct line of sight between the source and the receptor. It also has a comparatively high shared data rate at 70Mbps, which is good enough to reach about a thousand homes.

WiMAX is also an excellent saver of time. As it does not need cables to connect with the receptors, it is possible to establish connection to an entire campus or even city in a matter of a few days.

WiMAX also allows for greater convergence of diverse applications such as fixed and mobile telephony, apart from entertainment sectors like television.

Challenges

 

That said, WiMAX need not come to eliminate wired connectivity altogether. In areas where wired broadband is already established, DSL still reigns supreme. Thus it is more likely that WiMAX will develop as a complementary to wired connectivity.

Secondly, the real potential of WiMAX is in the possibility of bringing diverse services such as telephony, mobile television and broadband internet under its umbrella. This requires that players from these different fields work together to provide single point service to the end user. Consumer billing and mutual settlement systems have to be extremely efficient to handle these requirements.

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Did You Know WiTricity ?

"We're going to transfer power without any kind of wires," says Dr Hall, now Chief Technology Officer at WiTricity, a startup developing wireless "resonance" technology.

"But, we're not actually putting electricity in the air. What we're doing is putting a magnetic field in the air."

It works like this: WiTricity builds a "Source Resonator," a coil of electrical wire that generates a magnetic field when power is attached.

If another coil is brought close, an electrical charge can be generated in it. No wires required.

"When you bring a device into that magnetic field, it induces a current in the device, and by that you're able to transfer power," explains Dr Hall.

And like that, the bulb lights up.

Wireless homes

Don't worry about getting zapped: Hall assures that the magnetic fields used to transfer energy are "perfectly safe" -- in fact, they are the same kind of fields used in Wi-Fi routers.

In the house of the future, wire-free energy transfer could be as easy as wireless internet.

If all goes to WiTricity's plans, smart phones will charge in your pocket as you wander around, televisions will flicker with no wires attached, and electric cars will refuel while sitting on the driveway.

WiTricity has already demonstrated the ability to power laptops, cell-phones, and TVs by attaching resonator coils to batteries -- and an electric car refueler is reportedly in the works.

Hall sees a bright future for the family without wires:

"We just don't think about it anymore: I'm going to drive my car home and I'm never going to have to go to the gas station and I'm never going to have to plug it in.

"I can't even imagine how things will change when we live like that."

World outside

Beyond these effort-saving applications, Hall sees more revolutionary steps.

When Hall first saw the wireless bulb, she immediately thought of medical technology -- seeing that devices transplanted beneath the skin could be charged non-intrusively.

WiTricity is now working with a medical company to recharge a left-ventricular assist device -- "a heart-pump, essentially."

The technology opens the door to any number of mobile electronic devices which have so far been held back by limited battery lives.

"The idea of eliminating cables would allow us to re-design things in ways that we haven't yet thought of, that's just going to make our devices and everything that we interact with, that much more efficient, more practical and maybe even give brand new functionality."

What's next?

The challenge now is increasing the distance that power can be transferred efficiently. This distance -- Hall explains -- is linked to the size of the coil, and WiTricity wants to perfect the same long-distance transfers to today's small-scale devices.

For this reason, the team have high hopes for their new creation: AA-sized wirelessly rechargeable batteries.

For Hall, the applications are endless: "I always say kids will say: 'Why is it called wireless?'"

"The kids that are growing up in a couple of years will never have to plug anything in again to charge it."

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Wi-Fi Signals Enable Gesture Recognition throughout Entire Home !

Forget to turn off the lights before leaving the apartment? No problem. Just raise your hand, finger-swipe the air, and your lights will power down. Want to change the song playing on your music system in the other room? Move your hand to the right and flip through the songs.

University of Washington computer scientists have developed gesture-recognition technology that brings this a step closer to reality. Researchers have shown it's possible to leverage Wi-Fi signals around us to detect specific movements without needing sensors on the human body or cameras.

By using an adapted Wi-Fi router and a few wireless devices in the living room, users could control their electronics and household appliances from any room in the home with a simple gesture.

"This is repurposing wireless signals that already exist in new ways," said lead researcher Shyam Gollakota, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering. "You can actually use wireless for gesture recognition without needing to deploy more sensors."

The UW research team that includes Shwetak Patel, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering and of electrical engineering and his lab, published their findings online this week. This technology, which they call "WiSee," has been submitted to The 19th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking.

The concept is similar to Xbox Kinect -- a commercial product that uses cameras to recognize gestures -- but the UW technology is simpler, cheaper and doesn't require users to be in the same room as the device they want to control. That's because Wi-Fi signals can travel through walls and aren't bound by line-of-sight or sound restrictions.

The UW researchers built a "smart" receiver device that essentially listens to all of the wireless transmissions coming from devices throughout a home, including smartphones, laptops and tablets. A standard Wi-Fi router could be adapted to function as a receiver.

When a person moves, there is a slight change in the frequency of the wireless signal. Moving a hand or foot causes the receiver to detect a pattern of changes known as the Doppler frequency shift.

These frequency changes are very small -- only several hertz -- when compared with Wi-Fi signals that have a 20 megahertz bandwidth and operate at 5 gigahertz. Researchers developed an algorithm to detect these slight shifts. The technology also accounts for gaps in wireless signals when devices aren't transmitting.

The technology can identify nine different whole-body gestures, ranging from pushing, pulling and punching to full-body bowling. The researchers tested these gestures with five users in a two-bedroom apartment and an office environment. Out of the 900 gestures performed, WiSee accurately classified 94 percent of them.

"This is the first whole-home gesture recognition system that works without either requiring instrumentation of the user with sensors or deploying cameras in every room," said Qifan Pu, a collaborator and visiting student at the UW.

The system requires one receiver with multiple antennas. Intuitively, each antenna tunes into a specific user's movements, so as many as five people can move simultaneously in the same residence without confusing the receiver.

If a person wants to use the WiSee, she would perform a specific repetition gesture sequence to get access to the receiver. This password concept would also keep the system secure and prevent a neighbor -- or hacker -- from controlling a device in your home.

Once the wireless receiver locks onto the user, she can perform normal gestures to interact with the devices and appliances in her home. The receiver would be programmed to understand that a specific gesture corresponds to a specific device.

Collaborators Patel and Sidhant Gupta, a doctoral student in computer science and engineering, have worked with Microsoft Research on two similar technologies -- SoundWave, which uses sound, and Humantenna, which uses radiation from electrical wires -- that both sense whole-body gestures. But WiSee stands apart because it doesn't require the user to be in the same room as the receiver or the device.

In this way, a smart home could become a reality, allowing you to turn off the oven timer with a simple wave of the hand, or turn on the coffeemaker from your bed.

The researchers plan to look next at the ability to control multiple devices at once. The initial work was funded by the UW department of computer science and engineering.

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Volvo designs magnetic roads for cheaper, simpler self-driving cars

There are myriad visions for a future filled with self-driving cars. For example, there’s Google’s experimental driverless car bristling with sensors, as well as more modest systems that would only take over from drivers for short periods. The problem with more ambitious self-driving car technologies is the considerably higher cost, whether in public infrastructure (networked roads) or the smarts built into the vehicles themselves. Volvo thinks it has an idea that could make self-driving cars work with much less hassle. All we need is a bunch of magnets embedded in the road.

Volvo began developing its magnet-based smart car system after looking long and hard at the other proposals on the table. It’s not just the cost of advanced sensors, cameras, GPS, and LIDAR that make self-driving cars tricky, the reliability is also questionable. Electronic solutions are more prone to failure in general, but even more so when inclement weather strikes. A magnet? Well, that’s always a magnet, and it can be paired with other automated technologies to make a fully driverless car.

In order to test the idea of using magnetic roadways, Volvo actually built a 100-meter test track in Hällered, Sweden and raced a specially modified S60 down it at over 90 mph. Engineers lined the road with neodymium magnets (20mm x 10mm) and ferrite magnets (30mm x 5mm) in lines down the edges and middle of the lane. The company tested both embedded and surface installation, finding that magnets on the surface would be effective and easier to install. Although, either option is sure to cause headaches in the case of roadwork.

Magnetic sensors are nothing new, but at the speeds we busy humans often need to drive, existing hardware wasn’t sensitive or fast enough. Volvo engineers calculated a car would require at least 400 magnetic samples per second to remain on the straight and narrow — a regular magnetic sensor can only do about three readings per second, and even then only when it is within a few centimeters of the magnet. So Volvo decided to roll its own magnetic sensor rig with five sensor modules, each with 15 smaller Honeywell magnetic sensor pods. This rig was attached to the bottom of the car and was able to pull in 500 readings per second.

The system was able to monitor the car’s location to within 10 cm at 45 mph when telemetry factors such as speed and acceleration were figured in. You’d probably want the precision to be a little higher before taking your hands off the wheel, but you get a lot for your money here. The advanced sensor package on Google’s self-driving car has about $150,000 worth of sensors, but Volvo estimates its magnetic sensor package will add only $109 to the cost of a car when produced in large quantities. Volvo also claims installing magnets in typical two-lane roadways would cost an average of $24,405 per kilometer. If that sounds like a lot, it’s not actually bad in the context of self-driving technology. Of course, you could only use this system where the magnets had been laid down — Google’s car works almost anywhere right now.

As the technology for self-driving cars becomes a reality, we need to ask ourselves how smart the cars should be. Expensive sensor packages are great for completely controlling a vehicle so you can take a nap, but only in good conditions. A bit of ice or some fog could make things awfully sketchy. If we rely on magnets in the road (or some other passive tech) everything is more reliable, but possibly not as convenient. A networked on-board systemcan respond to traffic dynamically and provide detailed analytics. Magnets — they just keep you on the road. However, it might end up being more important to focus on what’s feasible than what’s clever in the end. Magnets could end up as part of a more advanced system that at least has a basic fallback mode when things go wrong.

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