WMU > OIT > Help Desk > Wireless

Wireless Western Security

Wireless connections are more vulnerable to malicious interventions than wired connections, so you should be cautious about what sort of information you transmit when using a wireless connection. For example, if you visit web sites that require a login name and password or credit card information, be aware that the information you enter may be more susceptible to being intercepted.

You may see literature saying that the 802.11b standard includes provisions for optional 40- or 128-bit link-level encryption over the air, however, current implementations require the encryption key to be shared by all users of the wireless LAN, effectively eliminating the usefulness of this security feature in an open campus environment such as WMU's. What this means to you is that if the application you are executing on your wireless device does not have application level encryption (ask your application provider if you aren't sure) then the information that is being passed back and forth between your wireless device and the application's server is at risk of being intercepted. This is especially important to know when executing applications that contain student, employee, alumni, financial, personal, and/or other sensitive data.

FCC - Wireless Western uses the FCC unlicensed 2.4 GHz Industrial/Scientific/Medical (ISM) band. Transmissions within that band conform to the IEEE 802.11 DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) wireless LAN specification. Certain other "wireless" devices also employ the same 2.4 GHz frequency band and can cause interference to users of Wireless Western. This includes but is not limited to other IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN devices, cordless telephones, cameras, and audio speakers.

In order to assure the highest level of service to Wireless Western users, The Office of Information Technology (OIT) needs help from the WMU community in minimizing the potential interference from those devices. OIT requests that the use of all other 2.4 GHz devices be discontinued in university-owned buildings. In cases where the device is being used for a specific teaching or research application, OIT will work with faculty to determine whether there are circumstances under which use of the device may still be accommodated without causing interference to Wireless Western users.

FERPA - (Federal Electronic Records Privacy Act) anything that is NOT in the campus directory should not be sent across the wire.

DMCA - (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) Same as with wired network.

HIPPA - (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) TBD, mostly affects Sindecuse area.

TELNET - Not allowed while using wireless connection, ports disabled.  

Need More Help?

If you need assistance, the Help Desk is located down the hall at the end of the UCC lab. They may be reached by telephone at (269) 387-HELP, option 1, or by e-mail to .