4 ms·

Did you say the same thing when WPA2 came out? And WPA? Or, are you still on WEP? Nobody is claiming you'll be on WPA3 tomorrow, just that it's here, and that

Did you say the same thing when WPA2 came out? And WPA? Or, are you still on WEP? Nobody is claiming you'll be on WPA3 tomorrow, just that it's here, and that you'll eventually migrate to it unless you never buy anything new again...

tw04 8y ago
When wpa2 came out, most cellphones didn't even support wifi, and smartphones were still years off. I had exactly one device at the time that needed wifi and I'm a "nerd". In 2018, off the top of my head I can get to 30 devices connected on WiFi at my house. VERY much a different discussion than 2004.
- kiallmacinnes 8y ago
  Cellphones have a typical 2-4 year life, so these will disappear pretty quickly. I expect many of those 30 items to have a relativly short lifespan - maybe 5-10 years at best. We're adding more and more connected devices: Phones, tablets, desktops, laptops all typically have a short life.. Smart home devices with WiFi, well, those claim an incredible life - but I really pity anyone putting today's consumer "IoT" devices in. Those things are often out of support before you even buy them. I doubt they are lasting 10 years, and even when I do, I doubt they'll still be safe to leave in place. TVs and TV set top boxes - this one really bugs me. I want a good quality dumb panel, because the smarts are out of date well within two years, and the TV itself should be good for way longer. TV Boxes, they go out of date too - but there cheap, so get replaced way more often. Long story short - I think the devices we're buying today are not designed to stand the test of time. They will IMO die out or be removed from your home much faster than we all hope. Edit addition: also, forgot to mention - I had lots of stuff that was WEP only. Much of it well after WPA2 came out. There all long gone, I expect the same will happen to the vast majority of people.
  - tw04 8y ago
    >forgot to mention - I had lots of stuff that was WEP only. Such as? You had to go out of your way to find devices that both had wifi and were only WEP capable in the early 2000s.
    - GTP 8y ago
      Nintendo DS is the first example that cames to my mind.
  - close04 8y ago
    > relativly short lifespan - maybe 5-10 years at best If you had to keep the door to your house unlocked for 5-10 years would you still consider it relatively short? How about if you couldn't patch your OS for the same length of time? Being stuck with such vulnerabilities for years is only short if nothing that tech touches is of much value to you.
Moto7451 8y ago
Yup, this. Same song and dance as USB 1.1, USB 3, USB C, Lightning Cables (relative to iPod dock connectors), and all of our evolving standards. It sucks for a year or two and we move on. For the purposes of WPA transitions, I’m willing to bet slick dual hand routers will support WPA2/3 split between each channel.
- pizzazzaro 8y ago
  Which means you really dont have the additional security of WPA3.
  - Moto7451 8y ago
    Very true. I don’t think we have a better option though. Like a lot of standards updates you have to cycle from old to new. Cutting support for old SSL cyphers/versions/certificate key requirements without a notice and replacement implementation period would be painful and disasterous. I turn off whatever insecure protocols exist on my router and will do the same once everything I care about can do WPA3. Getting the population at large to do the same is difficult. I’ll evangelize the benefits of switching, but the best way to loose support is to break use cases by pushing people onto something that prevents their positive device experiences.

tw04 8y ago

When wpa2 came out, most cellphones didn't even support wifi, and smartphones were still years off. I had exactly one device at the time that needed wifi and I'm a "nerd". In 2018, off the top of my head I can get to 30 devices connected on WiFi at my house. VERY much a different discussion than 2004.

kiallmacinnes 8y ago
Cellphones have a typical 2-4 year life, so these will disappear pretty quickly. I expect many of those 30 items to have a relativly short lifespan - maybe 5-10 years at best. We're adding more and more connected devices: Phones, tablets, desktops, laptops all typically have a short life.. Smart home devices with WiFi, well, those claim an incredible life - but I really pity anyone putting today's consumer "IoT" devices in. Those things are often out of support before you even buy them. I doubt they are lasting 10 years, and even when I do, I doubt they'll still be safe to leave in place. TVs and TV set top boxes - this one really bugs me. I want a good quality dumb panel, because the smarts are out of date well within two years, and the TV itself should be good for way longer. TV Boxes, they go out of date too - but there cheap, so get replaced way more often. Long story short - I think the devices we're buying today are not designed to stand the test of time. They will IMO die out or be removed from your home much faster than we all hope. Edit addition: also, forgot to mention - I had lots of stuff that was WEP only. Much of it well after WPA2 came out. There all long gone, I expect the same will happen to the vast majority of people.
- tw04 8y ago
  >forgot to mention - I had lots of stuff that was WEP only. Such as? You had to go out of your way to find devices that both had wifi and were only WEP capable in the early 2000s.
  - GTP 8y ago
    Nintendo DS is the first example that cames to my mind.
- close04 8y ago
  > relativly short lifespan - maybe 5-10 years at best If you had to keep the door to your house unlocked for 5-10 years would you still consider it relatively short? How about if you couldn't patch your OS for the same length of time? Being stuck with such vulnerabilities for years is only short if nothing that tech touches is of much value to you.

Moto7451 8y ago

Yup, this. Same song and dance as USB 1.1, USB 3, USB C, Lightning Cables (relative to iPod dock connectors), and all of our evolving standards. It sucks for a year or two and we move on. For the purposes of WPA transitions, I’m willing to bet slick dual hand routers will support WPA2/3 split between each channel.

pizzazzaro 8y ago
Which means you really dont have the additional security of WPA3.
- Moto7451 8y ago
  Very true. I don’t think we have a better option though. Like a lot of standards updates you have to cycle from old to new. Cutting support for old SSL cyphers/versions/certificate key requirements without a notice and replacement implementation period would be painful and disasterous. I turn off whatever insecure protocols exist on my router and will do the same once everything I care about can do WPA3. Getting the population at large to do the same is difficult. I’ll evangelize the benefits of switching, but the best way to loose support is to break use cases by pushing people onto something that prevents their positive device experiences.