How to be safe with Windows 10 WiFi Sense

The latest operating system from Microsoft, Windows 10, is here. The new platform includes a number of updates from previous versions, including WiFi Sense - a feature first introduced in Windows phones that allows users to share access to WiFi networks with their friends. The idea here is to remove the hassle of always needing to hunt down a password when connecting to trusted WiFi networks. While certainly convenient, as Microsoft seeks to adopt as many end-users as possible to Windows 10 (qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8 users can update for free), there are a few things everyone should know about WiFi Sense to stay safe and secure.

How it works
WiFi Sense is on by default if you choose express settings during Windows 10 installation - which most users will select. However, it doesn't actually do anything until you've signed in with your Microsoft account, and then joined a new WiFi network. Upon joining a new network, WiFi sense will ask you if you want to share access to it with others. This typically includes all of your Outlook and Skype contacts, as well as your Facebook friends. That is as far as the sharing goes, though. A friend you've shared access with via WiFi Sense can not then share that access with their own friends and contacts.

WiFi Sense then stores the network passkey on a Microsoft server, and it is pulled down in an encrypted form when a shared contact wanders within range of the shared wireless network. The actual passkey is never displayed in this process, which is a good thing, however, it needs to be de-crypted on your device at some point, so there remains the possibility that the password could be found deep in your PC's registry settings.

Should I be worried!?
On the surface, this does reflect a security concern. After all, someone with the right know-how could potentially access your registry and discover the password. However, let's consider how WiFi network passwords are currently shared with friends. Generally, as a host, you provide your password for them to punch into their device directly. At this point, that friend knows the actual password, and is free to share it with whoever they like. At least with WiFi Sense, obtaining your actual password is significantly more complicated.

The good news is that WiFi Sense will not over-ride networks that rely on additional authentication protocols like 802.1x EAP, however, for offices that rely on a simple WPA/WPA2 passkey, there is greater concern. With how easy it is to share WiFi access with all of your friends on Facebook, businesses with with secure corporate WiFi networks will do well to educate their employees around the importance of NOT sharing corporate network access via WiFi Sense, and IT departments rolling out Windows 10 are advised to take time to configure WiFi Sense (disabling it altogether is probably best) on devices before putting them in the hands of employees.

At the end of the day, the consumer's ability to easily share WiFi with friends is probably going to win over the potential security compromises. For those who are especially concerned, turning WiFi Sense off will be your best recourse.

How to turn WiFi Sense off
To Turn off WiFi Sense in Windows 10, click the Start button, type "WiFi," and select "change WiFi settings." Once the next window pops up, click "Manage WiFi settings." From here, you can turn WiFi Sense off, as well as adjust a number of other settings, which allow you change which networks you share passwords on, as well as opt specific networks in or out of password sharing.

Meru's latest update to System Director introduces "non-enforcement license" model

Among the challenges of sifting through the array of enterprise WiFi solutions available today is keeping the licensing options straight. Everyone has their own model, and while in general, you can expect to pay a licensing fee for each device from a given vendor (there are some exceptions, Ubiquiti Networks among them), exactly how that licensing is tracked varies. 

Historically, Meru's licensing structure was somewhat limiting, as a given AP's license was permanently married to it's controller. While certainly a limitation, most enterprise WiFi deployments don't require IT administrators to move their access points around. Once they are plugged in, they pretty much live there and enjoy a happy connection to their controller for the rest of their lives. But over time, this led to a serious lack of flexibility when it came time to upgrade a given controller on a Meru Network -- such a thing meant new licenses for your APs as well. 

Those days are now over with Meru's recent release of System Director 7.0 and their switch to a non-enforcement license model. An access point can now be moved from one controller to another by importing the license file in the controller. The licenses are also reusable on replaced controllers. When upgrading to System Director 7.0, this feature is automatically updated for the current APs on the network. 

With competitors like Aruba ever beating the drum of flexible deployment options, this is an important improvement to Meru's structure. While touting some of the highest capacity access points in the market with their patented single channel architecture, Cisco-Meraki and Aruba continue to capture the attention of IT decision makers. As Meru has recently been acquired by Fortinet, this development to their licensing scheme only continues to intrigue the future of enterprise WiFi offerings and competition. 

Juniper and Ruckus sittin in a tree...

The season of networking vendor partnerships continues with Juniper and Ruckus announcing their collaboration last Tuesday. The move represents a likely pairing, as Juniper looks to bolster its wireless offerings in a reputable Ruckus, known for it innovation when it comes to all things WiFi.

Originally paired with Aruba last year to integrate wireless functionality with their switches and routers, Juniper's new partnership with Ruckus confirms the Aruba arrangement isn't headed anywhere. With Hewlet Packard acquiring Aruba for $3 billion this spring, it comes with little surprise that Juniper would seek a new player to fill the wireless hole in their portfolio.

Ruckus has earned a reputation as an innovation leader in the industry. Earlier this year, the company was the first to announce a line of 802.11ac wave 2 access points. Since then, Aruba is the only competitor to announce their own line of wave 2 gear, slated to hit the market in July. Cisco is likely next to make a similar proclamation.

In addition to Tuesday's news of Juniper and Ruckus joining forces, and HP's recent acquisition of Aruba, Fortinet also recently announced their plans to purchase Meru Networks for $44 million. That deal is slated for July as well. All told, 2015 is shaping up to be an interesting year for laying the foundation of future wireless offerings, as vendors jockey for their own competitive edge in a competitive industry.

Announcing the NEW CopperWiFi.com!

We've been working hard on some major changes to CopperWiFi.com and we're finally ready!

First, we have updated our branding.  We have a new logo and color scheme that we feel brings us up to date.  It feels cleaner and more inline with our goals and direction here at CopperWiFi.com.

We've updated our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages as well as other social media with the new look.  If you haven't already, follow the links and like, follow, etc to stay up to date with what we are doing.  Everything from new blog posts to product releases and updates will be announced there first.

Second, we have completely redesigned the site.  Again, we focused on a clean, updated appearance and ease of use.  Our goal is to give visitors the best information about our products and the best prices possible.  Let's be honest, CopperWiFi.com has a lot of competition.  We want to make buying wireless networking equipment as easy to understand as possible.  We want our customers to be as well in formed as possible.  That is the reason for everything we do, from writing this blog to organizing our products into customizable bundles so you know what you need to order, what's available, and what will be in the box when your shipment arrives.

We have also added a new "Add to Quote" button on every product.  This enables users to quickly and easily submit a request for quote to get CopperWiFi.com's best pricing for larger orders and quantities of product.

We've made many more small tweaks to the site, all with the aim of streamlining and simplifying your experience.  Come by, take a look, and let us know what you think!

Fortinet acquiring Meru

Image source: marketbusinessnews.com

Last week saw a number of important announcements to the world of enterprise wireless. In particular, the same day Aruba announced their 802.11ac wave two line of access points, Fortinet announced plans to acquire Meru Networks. Fortinet, a world leader in the cyber-security space, looks to position themselves as a compelling option in the enterprise wireless market with the addition of Meru's 33 patents that set it apart as a leading brand in seamless wireless roaming and capacity.

A compelling solution to BYOD and the Internet of Things

Analysts and experts have reasonably predicted a massive increase in the number of wireless devices competing for airtime on wireless networks over the next five years. Emerging technologies have made it easier than ever to apply WiFi capabilities to every-day devices, appliances, and wearables - from smart watches, to HVAC systems, to security cameras, and even washers and dryers. However, the proliferation of these devices not only puts a massive strain on the ability of existing infrastructures to properly handle all the competing signals, it also indicates substantial security concerns, as wireless data transfers are notoriously easy to access without authorization. The future of enterprise wireless network access demands not only systems that can service many devices at once, but also do so securely. 

Image source: datasciencebe.com

Fortinet already boasts highly secure WiFi solutions, including access points and security appliances that have been among the fastest growing in their advanced technology portfolio. Meru, on the other hand, has routinely blown the competition away when it comes to managing seamless connectivity for numerous devices across a single channel - patented technology that has given them a substantial edge in terms of capacity with 802.11ac wave one. There's no reason to believe they won't continue to enjoy that edge once they release wave two systems and devices. Both Ruckus and Aruba have already announced wave two product lines hitting the market by quarter 3 of this year. 

Fortinet is shelling out $44 million at $1.63 per Meru share, and expected to conclude during the third quarter of this year. Not too shabby considering Meru reported $90.9 million in revenue for 2014, albeit down from $105.7 million in 2013. 

Aruba enters the 802.11ac wave 2 landscape

Aruba is throwing their hat in the ring on the next wave of 802.11ac with yesterday's announcement of their 320 series access points. The initial wave one release of 802.11ac gear enjoyed a solid 3x increase in throughput over 802.11n gear, as wireless data transfer rates of 1.3 Gbps in the 5 GHz band became possible. Wave two and Aruba’s 320 series looks to further increase that ceiling to over 1.7 Gbps, and while the extra 400 Mbps may not seem particularly significant, there are a couple unique features to the wave two tech that give these APs a significant competitive advantage when it comes to serving the exponential expansion of devices looking for room on crowded wireless networks.

“Moo-My-Moe!”

While we’ve grown used to “MIMO” (multiple in; multiple out) as a transmitting method since the adoption of 802.11n back in 2009, 802.11ac wave two devices will take advantage of multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This transmitting method allows each antenna on the AP to transmit data to different MU-MIMO capable devices simultaneously, a critically fundamental improvement on every previous transmission method, which could only transfer data to one client at a time. With the emergence of WiFi in more and more devices, from tablets, to phones, to watches, to HVAC systems, and other consumer appliances, MU-MIMO transfer methods are going to be essential in servicing all the different signal requests bombarding wireless networks. With four pairs of antennas, one Aruba 320-grade AP with multi-user MIMO will be able to handle the same device capacity as three enterprise grade wave one 802.11ac access points. While only MU-MIMO compatible client devices will be allowed to take advantage of this extra capacity, applying this compatibility is often as simple as a firmware upgrade for client devices and likely not a substantial barrier to overcome.

When MU-MIMO devices do start hitting the landscape in mass, Aruba’s patented ClientMatch technology on the 320 series units will detect these devices on the network, and direct them to MU-MIMO capable APs, ensuring that data transmissions are optimized on the network.

More spatial streams, please?

“Coming right up!” says Aruba. While wave one APs have been pretty much stuck at three spatial streams, Aruba’s 320 line will offer a fourth. This essentially amounts to a 25% boost to throughput for ALL devices flowing through the AP, and that’s not even counting the capacity management made possible by MU-MIMO.

802.11ac wave two on the horizon

Aruba’s 320 series isn’t the only wave two AP solution shipping this summer. Rukus was actually first to market back in April with their Zone Flex R710 unit. It’s expected to be available within this quarter, and touts the same data transfer rates as Aruba’s 320 series. Cisco will likely have a wave two AP out this year, too, with mounting pressure to keep up with the competition. While the release of the next generation of 802.11ac is exciting, it is unlikely to be fully appreciated until later in 2015 and even 2016, as devices capable of multi-user MIMO will need time to get out into the hands of consumers. We certainly look forward to seeing how these devices perform in our testing environments and will post further updates as they become available.

Announcing Ubiquiti Unifi AP Giveaway Contest

Those interested in enterprise WiFi networking are invited to enter a new contest held by Copper Wireless.  Contestants have the opportunity to win one of three Ubiquiti UniFi® Access Points: a UAP, a UAP-Pro, or a UAP-AC by subscribing to the company’s newsletter.

The contest is being held to bring attention to Ubiquiti UniFi Enterprise Wireless equipment as well as new retail websites, copperwifi.com and UBNT-wifi.com, both managed by Copper Wireless.

When asked about the contest, John Blount, owner, had this to say about why people should enter:

“Copper Wireless, LLC is excited to hold this contest and get the word out about the Unifi solution to enterprise wireless networking. They really have a strong offering to bring to the market and at a pretty disruptive price-point as compared to the competition.”

Winners will be chosen based on random drawing and all winners will be announced on May 29, 2015. Those who are interested can sign up for the contest via the company website. Deadline for entry is May 28, 2015.

Website: www.copperwifi.com