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diff --git a/static/src/_posts/2022-05-03-why-do-we-have-wifi-passwords.md b/static/src/_posts/2022-05-03-why-do-we-have-wifi-passwords.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..62c16af --- /dev/null +++ b/static/src/_posts/2022-05-03-why-do-we-have-wifi-passwords.md @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +--- +title: >- + Why Do We Have WiFi Passwords? +description: >- + A possible UX improvement. +tags: tech +--- + +It's been longer than I'd like since the last post, and unfortunately I don't +have a ton that I can actually show for it. A lot of time has been spent on +cryptic-net, which is coming along great and even has a proper storage mechanism +now! But it also still has some data specific to our own network baked into the +code, so it can't be shown publicly yet. + +----- + +Since I don't have much I _can_ show, I thought I'd spend a post diving into a +thought I had the other day: **why do we have wifi passwords?** + +The question is a bit facetious. Really what I want to ask is the adjacent +question: why do we use usernames _and_ passwords for wifi networks? The +question doesn't make much sense standing alone though, so it wouldn't do as a +title. + +In any case, what I'm proposing is that the vast majority of people don't need a +username/password authentication mechanism to secure their wifi network in a +practical way. Rather, most people could get along just fine with a secret token +mechanism. + +In the case of wifi networks, a secret token system might be better named a +secret _name_ mechanism. Using this mechanism a router would not broadcast its +own name to be discovered by the user's device, but rather the user inputs the +name into their device themselves. Existing hidden wifi networks work in this +way already, except they also require a password. + +I'm not going to look at this from a technical or cryptographical perspective. +Hidden wifi networks work already, I assume that under the hood this wouldn't be +appreciably different. Instead I'd like to highlight how this change affects the +user experience of joining a wifi network. + +The current experience is as follows: + +* USER discovers the network name and password through external means. +* USER opens "add new wifi network" page on their device. +* USER finds network name in network list, possibly waiting or scrolling if + there are many networks. +* USER selects the network name. +* USER inputs password into text box. +* USER is connected to the wifi. + +What could this look like if the network name was secret and there was no +password? There'd be no network list, so the whole process is much slimmer: + +* USER discovers the secret network name through external means. +* USER opens "add new wifi network" page on their device. +* USER inputs secret name into text box. +* USER is connected to the wifi. + +The result is a 33% reduction in number of steps, and a 50% reduction in number +of things the user has to know. The experience is virtually the same across all +other axis. + +So the upside of this proposal is clear, a far better UX, but what are the +downsides? Losing a fun avenue of self-expression in the form of wifi names is +probably the most compelling one I've thought of. There's also corporate +environments to consider (as one always must), where it's more practical to +remove users from the network in a targeted way, by revoking accounts, vs +changing the password for everyone anytime a user needs to be excluded. + +Corporate offices can keep their usernames and passwords, I guess, and we +should come up with some other radio-based graffiti mechanism in any case. Let's +just get rid of these pointless extra steps! + +----- + +That's the post. Making this proposal into reality would require a movement far +larger than I care to organize, so we're just going to put this whole thing in +the "fun, pointless yak-shave" bucket and move along. If you happen to know the +architect of the next wifi protocol maybe slip this their way? Or just copy it +and take the credit yourself, that's fine by me. + +What's coming next? I'm taking a break from cryptic to catch up on some house +keeping in the self-hosted arena. I've got a brand new password manager I'd like +to try, as well as some motivation to finish getting my own email server +properly set up (it can currently only send mail). At some point I'd like to get +this blog gemini-ified too. Plus there's some services running in their +vestigial docker containers on my server still, that needs to be remedied. + +And somewhere in there I have to move too. |