Securing your Wi-Fi airspace

Join Wi-Fi thought leaders in on-line security discussion

Industry analysis by expert Joanie Wexler, plus links to the day's wireless news headlines

Wi-Fi sensors have long been scanning the unlicensed 2.4GHz and 5GHz airwaves for network intruders and phishing scams. Each security monitor can detect potential intruders across environments ranging from approximately 15,000 square feet to about 90,000 square feet in size. Why are there such vast coverage differences and how do you plan and implement your sensor network accordingly?

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This is one of several Wi-Fi security questions currently under debate in a new, interactive text-based Webtorials Thought Leadership Summit, which yours truly is moderating. Experts from AirMagnet, AirTight and Motorola AirDefense are fielding any and all questions about protecting your airspace, whether they're about technology, pricing, strategy or something else. You are invited to join the Webtorials Thought Leadership Summit here to learn, ask questions and contribute your own 2 cents.

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Wi-Fi sensors have long been scanning the unlicensed 2.4GHz and 5GHz airwaves for network intruders and phishing scams. Each security monitor can detect potential intruders across environments ranging from approximately 15,000 square feet to about 90,000 square feet in size. Why are there such vast coverage differences and how do you plan and implement your sensor network accordingly?

How Wi-Fi attackers are poisoning Web browsers

This is one of several Wi-Fi security questions currently under debate in a new, interactive text-based Webtorials Thought Leadership Summit, which yours truly is moderating. Experts from AirMagnet, AirTight and Motorola AirDefense are fielding any and all questions about protecting your airspace, whether they're about technology, pricing, strategy or something else. You are invited to join the Webtorials Thought Leadership Summit here to learn, ask questions and contribute your own 2 cents.

Now, back to the coverage question: we know that Wi-Fi coverage and performance depend on several factors, such as physical obstructions in the environment, radio frequency interference, number of users sharing the bandwidth and so forth. 802.11n -- now the default Wi-Fi flavor of choice for its high speeds -- doesn't have the same transmission reach as its 802.11b/g predecessors and is also affected differently by physical obstacles.

So not all sensors are created equal, coverage-wise, meaning you might want to adjust your "sensor site survey" just as you will tweak your AP-placement site survey strategy if and when moving to 802.11n. An 802.11n-capable sensor will be able to cover the low end of the cited range (about 15,000 to 20,000 square feet), according to our Thought Leadership Summit experts.

There's good news: purpose-built 802.11n sensors can select the frame rate at which wireless intrusion-prevention system commands are sent, which can be different than the data-transport rate, posts Wade Williamson, product manager at AirMagnet. He adds: "Your blocking messages can use lower data rates, which can cover larger areas."

AirTight Vice President of Product Management Sri Sundarilingam fires back: "If your sensor is not close enough to [an 802.11n] threat transmitting at 200Mbps, how are you going to detect it?"

We're expecting Williamson's reply at any moment. So please jump in to find out the answer. And come armed with your own questions, advice, arguments and commentary to keep the discussion threads lively!

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.

Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in Silicon Valley.