[.ca] 802.11 Security (ISBN 0596002904)

Wonderful book, title should mention Unix.:
802.11 Security is another fine O'Reilly book, it is very nicely written and laid out and the message is crystal clear. The reason I gave it three stars was that the book is heavily biased towards Linux, Free BSD, and Open BSD and the title does not reflect the bias. That is not a bad thing, I found the unix information wonderful, but if you are ordering 802.11 Security over the web, you might easily miss the unix emphasis and end up with a book that doesn't meet your needs.

Saves Time!:
I disagree with the other reviewer. While it's true that this book has a large collection of URL's that *could* be found using a search engine, the fact that the authors took the time to find the resources mentioned, cull through them, and published them, saves a beginner a significant amount of time weeding out the good hits from the zillion or so mediocre ones. The book is well worth the money for anyone contemplating running a wireless network with some flavor of *nix, or even, (God forbid) Windoze. Sample configurations for both servers and clients are given, and aside from a few typos between the text and the diagrams, is quite complete for anyone with a modicum of system administration knowledge.

No worth the money---DON'T WASTE IT on this book.:
I did the smart thing and got this book on inter-library loan BEFORE making a decision whether to purchase it. I noted that the book was only 176 pages long. Word to the wise: If a book on tech stuff is that short, be suspicious of the content. When a tech book is small like this one is, there usually is no "there" there. And when I see that a book this short is cover priced at almost $(Amamzon edited out the cover price, so look for it elsewhere) USD, all kinds of red warning lights begin to flash in my head. Glad I didn't waste the money! In a word this book is "cursory." I was looking for solutions for a good cross-platform security solution for my wireless LAN. All this book gave me were other places to go for information. For instance, there is a section on IPSec VPN that is a grand total of seven pages long, which has good plans for how to use FreeBSD or Linux servers, but then also refers you to a website for more information. There are a bunch of website references scattered throughout the whole of the book in a "look here for more information" way. If I wanted to reference the web for information, I'd use Google for FREE and not spend almost (cover price) to have someone else tell me where to look. The author states in the beginning of the book that if you are familiar with FreeBSD and Linux and want to use these for wireless security it's a good book to read. Well, speaking from an admin's standpoint, and having compiled several FreeBSD kernels and setup several Linux boxes, this book is FAR below my experience level. If you are an admin of WinTel boxes, this book is not for you. If you are a Macintosh admin (which I also am), don't bother with this book either. The author also seems to assume that you know nothing, even though the book states that it's a good idea to have an admin's or engineer's background, and to have a good knowledge of the OSI model. THEN, the author goes on to state (page viii, paragraph 1, line 4) "We provide links and references to resources to help with these issues \oconfiguring Linux and FreeBSD solutions\c but do not address then directly. This book concentrates on the issues germane to wireless security and leaves the operating-system-specific installation procedures as an exercise to the user." Just to be concise here: yeah, that's the way it's printed: "then" not "them" and wow, "germane"--use of this word must be to make up for the then/them mistake, I guess. So, basically the author warns the reader in the beginning of the book that he will provide you with references to resources and cursory information that can be obtained via other means of simple research without his help, and will leave the actual configuration tasks up to the reader. Why would anyone PAY for this? Heck, if O'Reilly is publishing books like these, I have a few transcripts and drafts that I'd like to send them NOW! Anything in this book can be found on the web for FREE. Did I mention "for FREE?" To be fair, this book would make a good text for teaching a beginner's class, but it still needs MORE MEAT. Please look elsewhere for solutions. Don't buy this one.

Can't believe the bad rap...:
Wow, I can't believe this book has any less than 4.5 stars. The 1-star reviews really do seem to miss the mark. This book is short and to the point because it doesn't waste time talking about concepts and standards that the average person shouldn't care about. This book teaches you how to deploy 802.11 as it is today as securely as possible, and informs you well about the issues you cannot circumvent. It even considers that you might not be running a homogenous network. Even though the server-side stuff is UNIX specific, they talk about client configuration even across Windows. And they do cover the Mac. Highly recommended.

As secure as it can be:
You've got one, I've got one, we've all got one. Wired networks have become so passe` now that wireless networks are everywhere. The one characteristic of most wireless networks is the lack of security. Enter O'Reilly's 802.11 Security. Potter and Fleck have written this little book as a no-nonsense guide to understanding the problem of wireless networking security. They also do an excellent job demonstrating how to implement solutions that are quick, simple and actually work. Overall, I would have to say that this book is a gold mine for anyone running an 802.11 network. It has helped me figure out how to implement wireless networking at home thus minimizing security risks. As usual the book is very easy reading and it's written in a very easy-going style giving the necessary background before launching into any detailed discussions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering or using a wireless network. Even though given enough time my wireless network could be sniffed out, I feel much better having a better understanding of how important securing my wireless network is and knowing that I've done what I can to prevent unauthorized use.