Drawbacks

• 802.11b works in the unlicensed 2.4-GHz spectrum. Cordless phones and microwave ovens also share this bandwidth, so you may notice interference.
  
• Like any wireless technology, the range of 802.11b is affected by the number of walls and other large objects the signal must pass through.
  
• 802.11b and its encryption scheme, WEP (wired equivalent privacy) have been compromised. Secure websites (HTTPS) and VPN (virtual private networking) provide the security missing in 802.11b, but regular traffic is vulnerable.

Preventing unauthorized wireless access

Consider using WEP or MAC (media access control) address filtering. WEP is simply a weak form of encryption that requires users to enter a passkey to access your network. MAC filtering only allows the router to permit connections for network cards with a known address. The MAC address is unique to every network card.

For security from the Internet, most routers offer NAT (network address translation) to shield internal addresses from the outside world. NAT convinces the outside world that all traffic is coming from a single address. NAT is the most basic of security measures and a software firewall like ZoneAlarm can be used for additional security. Some routers come with built-in firewalls for more security.

This article was originally posted May 15, 2002.