Open your Wireless Network
I’ve been keeping my wireless router open for years. When I first got it, I heeded to the common view and fortified it as much as possible. Who knows what might happen. In the first year or so, it was annoying to provide the password to guests and visitors and re-enter it myself every time something had to be reconfigured. I reverted to the access list method, but this was even more cumbersome when guests needed a wireless connection. Then one day I simply removed it, and all is well ever since. And why not open it? If my neighbors want to use it, I don’t mind. I use theirs when mine is down ;-). Now our guests simply turn on their laptop or mobile device and get connected right away. The security concerns are valid, but the chance of them materializing is so slim that it’s worth it.
But who am I to try and justify this, when Bruce Schneier, the security guru, does the same. In his recent Wired blog post he describes the reasoning behind his decision, which is basically the same as mine. I feel so much better about it now…
So if you happen to be in Sunnyvale and run into a wireless network called HAREL – be my guest and used it freely.
