If you are a hotel offering free or paid Wi-Fi to your guests, if you are a university offering free Wi-Fi to your students or if you are a hotspot offering Wi-Fi internet service to your users then you should surely get some crux of the message to understand the insights of Wi-Fi. The modern Wi-Fi technology allows you to break-away from the limitations of wired connections and enjoy complete mobility while you are connected to the network. But along with several advantages, there are also list of disadvantages that comes along with the Wi-Fi technology.
Basically Wi-Fi or Wireless connection is a standard method of allowing one device to communication with another device using access point or access controller which acts as the gateway for data exchange between the device and the server. The range of wireless connectivity remains limited based on the network and the devices that has been used in a specific location. Normally, the range depends from 20-25 feet indoors considering the obstructions in the Wi-Fi network.
As compared to wired connections, Wi-Fi network can be shared by multiple users and accessed at the same time. If left unprotected, it is next to impossible to track the details of the user who misused the network and did any malicious activity. But after the recent terrorist attacks and emails sent using unsecured Wi-Fi networks in India, the government bodies like DOT and TRAI have made it mandatory for all Wi-Fi networks to be password-protected to prevent such malicious or terrorist activity. One of the methods of protecting a Wi-Fi network is hiding its name, which is known as SSID (Server Set Identifier). By hiding the network, nobody will be able to view your network, and if nobody can see then nobody will connect to network. But if anyone wants to use the network, each time the use has to manually enter the name of the network in the device and connect to it.
While there is another method of protecting the Wi-Fi network which is most common these days, known as security key based connection. These security keys work on specific standard which are known as the WEP, WPA, and WPA2. WPA2 is the secured Wi-Fi security method which has two more variants WPA2-PSK and WPA2-Enterprise. In case of WPA2-PSK variant user has to enter the pre-shared key which enables them access to network, while WPA2-Enterprise facilitates with authentication from centralized RADIUS server.
Radius servers allow you to define the username and password of the users using which they can login their account before accessing the network. On receiving surfing request from user, access gateway in the network throws a login page to the user and prompts to enter the login credentials (Username & Password/Room No. & Registration No). The user has to enter accurate credentials to login because only on successful authentication the user will be allowed to surf. This method of authentication enables centralized AAA, avoiding unauthenticated traffic which keeps your network safe from malicious activities. It is suggested to service providers, hoteliers, hotspot owners and university campuses where Wi-Fi network is highly used, should ensure that their network is securely managed using WPA2-PSK or WPA2-Enterprise security method.
A professional writer with 5+ years of experience in telecom industry with networking and current market understanding. 24online Internet Billing and Bandwidth Management software solution is a comprehensive solution offering internet billing, bandwidth management and franchisee management solution to Wired, Wi-Fi and WiMAX internet service providers offering smooth internet service provisioning. 24online also has dedicated product line for hospitality and hotspot segment with advanced features for time and usage based internet billing. All products of 24online are offered in robust appliance based solution which removes the dependency of server and compatibility of software. 24online has complete series of appliance by which service providers are free to choose the solution as per their subscriber base and network size. Rate this ArticleWhy RADIUS Servers Should be Used in Wi-Fi NetworkNot Rated YetSatya Iyer has published 3 articles. Article submitted on September 03, 2012. Word count: 552Wireless networks have been available for quite a number of years now, and prior to their introduction the only option available for Local Area Networks was through the use of copper, twisted pair cabling.
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