Basic wireless setup

grungie grungie at chez.com
Tue Oct 14 03:14:55 EST 2003


Hello,

I'm new to this list and would appreciate some guidance in setting up a 
basic wireless network.
In a nutshell, I will be sharing a broadband internet connection over a 
802.11b network using the same Linux 2.4.22 box as:
- dialup machine
- NAT gateway
- DHCP server
- firewall

Everything seems to be running fine but I want to make sure the 
security aspects are ok before going live.
My Linux portable (dialup/NAT/DHCP/FW) will use an Orinoco Gold card, 
and allocate IP addresses / give internet access to all clients that 
have the right WEP key(s).

I am fully aware of the limitations of WEP and do not expect a 
cryptography lesson. The way my network is configured, the worst that 
can happen is someone tapping my broadband connection or possibly a 
client-to-client attack. I am willing to take this risk.

My two questions are:
- why would you need a default key if one out of four keys is chosen 
randomly every time you send a packet? Do all 128-bit compatible cards 
support this key-rotation feature (I will have visitors using Apple 
Airport, for instance)?

- is there a way to disable SSID broadcast in either Ad-Hoc or AP mode 
(I still have not decided in which mode to operate)?

Ideally, I would like my guests connected to the internet in seconds, 
by just providing them with the SSID (in case broadcast is disabled) 
and the four WEP keys.

Any help would be appreciated




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