Editing Wireless access point (section)

==Security==
{{Main|Wireless LAN security}}
Wireless access has special [[security]] considerations. Many wired networks base the security on physical access control, trusting all the users on the local network, but if wireless access points are connected to the network, anybody within range of the AP (which typically extends farther than the intended area) can attach to the network.

The most common solution is wireless traffic encryption. Modern access points come with built-in encryption. The first generation encryption scheme, [[Wired Equivalent Privacy|WEP]], proved easy to crack; the second and third generation schemes, [[Wi-Fi Protected Access|WPA]] and [[IEEE 802.11i|WPA2]], are considered secure<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3r81GCpOnYC&q=wpa+security+research&pg=PT108|title=Handbook of Research on Wireless Security|last1=Zhang|first1=Yan|last2=Zheng|first2=Jun|last3=Ma|first3=Miao|date=January 1, 2008|publisher=Idea Group Inc (IGI)|isbn=9781599048994}}</ref> if a strong enough [[Password cracking|password]] or [[passphrase]] is used.

Some APs support hotspot style authentication using [[RADIUS]] and other [[authentication server]]s.

Opinions about wireless network security vary widely. For example, in a 2008 article for ''[[Wired Magazine|Wired]]'' magazine, [[Bruce Schneier]] asserted the net benefits of open Wi-Fi without passwords outweigh the risks,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2008/01/securitymatters_0110 |title=Steal This Wi-Fi |work=[[Wired Magazine]] |author=Bruce Schneier |author-link=Bruce Schneier |date=January 10, 2008}}</ref> a position supported in 2014 by Peter Eckersley of the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/open-wireless-movement |title=Why We Need An Open Wireless Movement |date=April 27, 2011 |publisher=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation]]}}</ref> The opposite position was taken by Nick Mediati in an article for ''[[PC World]]'', in which he advocates that every wireless access point should be protected with a password.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/226784/secure_your_wifi.html |title=How to Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network |work=[[PC World]] |date=June 24, 2011 |author=Nick Mediati}}</ref>