Wireless Networking Security Issues and Their Impact on Deployment

If you're holding back on an 802.11 deployment because of security concerns, you're not alone. Research indicates that the perceived insecurity of wireless networks is a major inhibitor to further market growth. . . . If you're holding back on an 802.11 deployment because of security concerns, you're not alone. Research indicates that the perceived insecurity of wireless networks is a major inhibitor to further market growth.

This short history of the security issues in wireless networks should help shed some light on the problem. How the security problems affect you depends on your goals and the type of network you are building. Community networks [1] may be deployed to give away Internet access to the masses, and securing the network from end-user access is not a goal.