Muni Wi-Fi open to all

Security, or lack thereof, is shaping up as a major failing of municipal Wi-Fi networks, Frank Bulk writes in Network Computing:

It seems that municipal wireless networks based on 802.11 technologies have defaulted to a different approach--let's leave the access medium totally open-- than the incumbent wireline service providers. (I should add that the backhaul from the outdoor-mounted access point or node is usually encrypted.) What previously necessitated physical access to the copper wire and expensive decoding equipment now involves nothing more than a wirelessly enabled laptop with a freely downloadable copy of Ethereal. It requires minimal effort for your 'neighbor' two houses down to capture all your data packets from the comfort of his or her home. Even if the wireless broadband network requires authentication via a portal, the access link likely remains in the clear.

Local wireless guru Glenn Fleishman weighs in with some additional thoughts.