4 ms·

I don't want some complicated random password. At least where I live, my router password is a very modest security shim to protect against very random casual ac

by ghaff 2y ago

I don't want some complicated random password. At least where I live, my router password is a very modest security shim to protect against very random casual access. If I have a visitor who needs WiFi access, I want to give them an easy password to type in.

craftkiller 2y ago
You can always change the passwords. I was bringing this up as a solution to the default passwords issue. You don't want to have a static default password used by everyone, so you need the initial password to be randomized. People are dumb so you need to print it on the device. There is no need to default to cloud-based authentication to close the default password security hole.
barbazoo 2y ago
Wifi password != admin password. The admin password should be random and then you can change it when you take ownership of the device.
marsovo 2y ago
So change it afterwards. Good defaults are important. If someone doesn't change it, it's important that they be on the right path instead of...this one. (See also: opt-in versus opt-out for retirement plans, organ donation...heck, even this from yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43144611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43144611)
wlesieutre 2y ago
If it's too hard for a guest to type in a password, you can also have them join by scanning a QR code. Obviously this works better for phones and tablets with QR scanning built into the camera, but that's what guests are frequently using. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code#Joining_a_Wi%E2%80%91Fi_network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code#Joining_a_Wi%E2%80%91F...
inetknght 2y ago
> I don't want some complicated random password. It doesn't have to be complicated. A random passphrase can be much simpler and include significantly more entropy: four to six words plus a six-digit number. Any password generator worth a damn can generate something like this.
- joshstrange 2y ago
  Correct! No need to horse around with passwords. A staple approach saves your mental battery.

by ghaff 2y ago

craftkiller 2y ago

You can always change the passwords. I was bringing this up as a solution to the default passwords issue. You don't want to have a static default password used by everyone, so you need the initial password to be randomized. People are dumb so you need to print it on the device. There is no need to default to cloud-based authentication to close the default password security hole.

barbazoo 2y ago

Wifi password != admin password. The admin password should be random and then you can change it when you take ownership of the device.

marsovo 2y ago

So change it afterwards. Good defaults are important. If someone doesn't change it, it's important that they be on the right path instead of...this one. (See also: opt-in versus opt-out for retirement plans, organ donation...heck, even this from yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43144611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43144611)

wlesieutre 2y ago

If it's too hard for a guest to type in a password, you can also have them join by scanning a QR code. Obviously this works better for phones and tablets with QR scanning built into the camera, but that's what guests are frequently using. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code#Joining_a_Wi%E2%80%91Fi_network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code#Joining_a_Wi%E2%80%91F...

inetknght 2y ago

> I don't want some complicated random password. It doesn't have to be complicated. A random passphrase can be much simpler and include significantly more entropy: four to six words plus a six-digit number. Any password generator worth a damn can generate something like this.

joshstrange 2y ago
Correct! No need to horse around with passwords. A staple approach saves your mental battery.