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ABI Research Examines Need for Simpler Wi-Fi Security

6:30 am on March 26, 2006 | Category: Internet, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology

The Wi-Fi Alliance needs to give hardware makers a push start making simpler and more user-friendly security features for wireless routers, according to ABI Research Corp.

Despite the frequency of the theft of Wi-Fi signals, the majority of users simply donâ€™t bother setting up a security solution, due to the difficult and complex nature of the process.

ABI wireless connectivity analyst, Sam Lucero, says that â€œawareness of security issues is becoming widespread among the average consumer,â€ but also that â€œthe complexity of existing security mechanisms is frustrating to many, (and) they regard it as a problem they just can’t solve.â€

Although some hardware makers have incorporated easy-to-use security systems with their products, there is no official standard for user-friendly Wi-Fi security. ABI says that it will ultimately be up to the Wi-Fi Alliance to create a universal open standard for security.

â€œSimpler security solutions won’t necessarily give their creators a big competitive advantage. But once the Wi-Fi Alliance settles on a standard, most if not all vendors will adopt it. For everyone’s benefit, the industry as a whole should set aside competitive considerations and move as expeditiously as possible to get a security standard in place,â€ Lucero concluded on the matter.

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