Ubiquiti | New Colour Range and Finishes

Back in the days, Access Points (AP) used to be blunt and boring since you were limited to the white colour only. However, you can forget those days as Ubiquity is going to soon release their new range of colours and skins for the new UniFi nanoHD AP.

The Ubiquiti UniFi nanoHD AP features simultaneous, dual-band, 4×4 MU-MIMO technology and convenient 802.3af PoE compatibility. The compact design delivers a cost-effective combination of value and performance.

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of AC certified devices being used today, and all of them can benefit from the deployment of wave 2 AC access points. The nanoHD AP features the latest in Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wave 2 MU-MIMO technology.

Apart from speed, there are 3 main features that separate wave 2 APs from its wave 1 predecessor:

• MU-MIMO
• 4 spatial or data streams
• 160 MHz channels

What does this mean for your business?

With the right design in place, wave 2 access points can offer better performance using fewer APs, which helps boost productivity, efficiency and user satisfaction rates.

We’ve had lots of clients who asked about having an oak coloured access point, and we’ve always felt sorry to let them know it was not possible. But now thanks to Ubiquiti’s new range of colours and skins, they allow the UniFi nanoHD AP to blend into its surroundings.

Access Points | Better for Businesses

While range extenders are great for home Wi-Fi networks, they’re not efficient for modern businesses. This is because they can only support a limited number of devices at one time, usually no more than 20. While range extenders do increase the coverage of a Wi-Fi router, they do not increase its available bandwidth. Depending on the number of devices you have connected simultaneously, a range extender could end up weighing down your connection.

Access points, on the other hand, can handle over 60 simultaneous connections each. By installing access points throughout the office, users can roam freely from room to room without experiencing network interruptions. As they move through the building, their devices shift seamlessly from one access point to the next without dropping the connection—they will not even realize they are switching between networks.

Advantages of Using Wireless Access Points

When you have both employees and guests connecting with desktops, laptops, mobile phones, and tablets, 20 devices on a wireless network adds up quickly. At 60 simultaneous connections each, access points give you the freedom to scale the number of devices supported on your network. But that’s only one of the advantages of using these network enhancers—consider these points:

• Business-grade access points can be installed anywhere you can run an Ethernet cable. Newer models are also compatible with Power over Ethernet Plus, or PoE+ (a combination Ethernet and power cord), so there is no need to run a separate power line or install an outlet near the access point.
• Additional standard features include Captive Portal and Access Control List (ACL) support, so you can limit guest access without compromising network security, as well as easily manage users within your Wi-Fi network.
• Select access points include a Clustering feature – a single point from which the IT administrator can view, deploy, configure, and secure a Wi-Fi network as a single entity rather than a series of separate access point configurations.

Thanks to 4gon for the image.

Do the terms ‘802.11ac’, ‘Wave 2’ and ‘5GHz’ sound familiar? They are often associated with shiny new phones and Access Points. Conversely, ‘2.4GHz’ may invoke images of old barcode scanners and legacy home routers. Is this a fair perception?

It’s been apparent for a couple of years that the 2.4GHz band of Wi-Fi is getting more crowded. Allowing users to share this spectrum at the same time is the thing that made it so useful, but at the moment, the same feature unfortunately starts to make the spectrum unusable in several situations.

In 2016, Apple and Cisco issued a paper in regards to the best network practices for enterprises where they stated that the use of 2.4GHz band is not considered suitable for business and/or mission critical enterprise applications. They also suggested to businesses to change to 5GHz band and replace the 2.4GHz.

In 2014, the Wi-Fi Alliance analysed the Wi-Fi enabled devices in the world, plus the amount of selling and shipping of sales each year. The results showed that the number of new devices is going to continuously grow at a fast pace. Most of the devices sold today can work with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum, but they are set to default to use 2.4GHz spectrum. The reason behind devices being set as default to using 2.4GHz is to enable usability of these devices on older Wi-Fi routers. This unfortunately leads to creating an increasing demand in only one part of the spectrum. Hence, there is no doubt the bandwidth can get full.

What is the solution that the market has found?

Wi-Fi/802.11 started off in 1997 and it ran exclusively on 2.4GHz. Two years later, in 1999, 802.11a has launched and 5GHz became an alternative. Between 2009 and 2017, as specified above, most devices have been manufactured with 5GHz support. However, this is set to continue with 5GHz-only devices (802.11ac) which is seeing a rapid adoption rate.

Some of the devices like Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, etc. connect to Wi-Fi by exclusively using 2.4GHz. This might be a sign 2.4GHz is not dying. Sadly, non-Wi-Fi equipment interfere on the 2.4GHz frequency and makes it more congested than ever before. For this reason, Wi-Fi moves towards a 5GHz-only future.

What is the difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz?

Most of the existent devices rely on 2.4GHz connections even though they have 5GHz support. 2.4GHz connection is a shorter, denser frequency which is better for range and in case there are walls between the router and the user. Having numerous devices using the same frequency impacts the overall quality and result in dropped connection occasionally.

Changing to 5GHZ connection results in less interference and there is a stronger signal, meaning a more reliable and constant connection and faster data transfer. The drawback of 5GHz is its shorter range in comparison to 2.4GHz and has more difficulty penetrating obstacles like walls or windows.

To conclude, 2.4GHz has better range but loads of interference while 5GHz has a shorter range with less interference.

The Future

The explosion of IoT has increased the dependency on 2.4GHz and some devices are still produced to connect to 2.4GHz frequency only. Manufacturers are doing this because chipsets are cheaper and often provide better connectivity range compared to 5GHz.

As devices start to focus on supporting both frequencies (2.4GHz and 5GHz) or 5GHz-only, we could see 5GHz becoming the cheaper alternative.

To answer the question of this article, we can safely say 2.4GHz is not dead but will be soon. However, technology needs to continuously find new solutions as the 5GHz spectrum can end up in the same place 2.4GHz did, meaning that if all devices move to using 5GHz, it may also get overcrowded.

For the future, experts advise to make sure you purchase devices that support 5GHz (802.11ac). Also, SDR can improve the operational efficiency and performance of a wireless network, and can also ease the transition to 5GHz-only frequency, so it may be worth investing in.

With thanks to Aerohive for the image.

In a world where technology evolved so much that almost everything needs an internet connection, you might ask yourself whether there will be enough bandwidth for all these devices. Will the existing system be fast enough for all the data? And most importantly, will the data be secure?

Scientists have the answer to all of these questions, through this upcoming technology called Li-Fi (Light Fidelity). This is believed to be the next generation of internet where light will be the medium for transmitting data. Yes, you read that right. The light you use in your house, with some modifications can be used to transmit data to the devices that require internet connection.

Li-Fi was invented by Harald Haas back in 2011, when he demonstrated for the first time that the light from a single flickering LED could transmit far more data than a cellular tower. Li-Fi was tested in labs and achieved speeds of up to 224 Gbps, giving this technology the potential to change everything about the way we use the Internet.

In 2015, scientists have taken Li-Fi out of the lab for the first time, trialing it in Tallinn, Estonia. The reported data transmission speed was clocked at 1 GB per second said to be 100 times faster than current average Wi-Fi speeds.

Li-Fi has also been tested in India this year. Education and Research Network (ERNET) is an autonomous scientific society under the IT Ministry. ERNET conducted a pilot test with Philips India and IIT-Madras at IIT-Madras campus, to gauge the impact and results of Li-Fi. It seems that the tests were successful, and further research is currently underway to make Li-Fi commercially viable. The pilot test was conducted a few weeks ago in controlled environment, and now, the researchers are collaborating with Indian Institute Of Science for further insights.

The technology uses Visible Light Communication (VLC). A medium that uses VLC between 400 and 800 THz. As said above, small impulses switching ON and OFF, like a torch, can be used to write and transmit data in binary code. However, do not worry about a light flickering all the time in an office or in your house, the speed at which the LEDs are switching is imperceptible to the naked eye.

Why do we need a change in the existing technology?

Since the beginning, we have been using Radio Frequency (RF) medium to transmit data wirelessly. RF uses radio waves which have a couple of drawbacks at the moment:

• High demand for the internet that could not be met by the current method
• Demand for higher network speed and, therefore, a need for a bigger bandwidth
• RF medium is not safe to be used in hospitals, power plants, aeroplanes etc. and these places will also need internet connectivity to match the modern era we are in
• RF is believed not to be safe, since your data can escape through walls and cannot be contained within a particular area

These couple of drawbacks call for a new technology – Let’s welcome Li-Fi. The benefits of Li-Fi, other than the faster speed, is that light cannot pass through walls, hence it makes it more secure, and with less interference between devices.

How does it work?

As mentioned above, Li-Fi uses light to transmit data through special modified LED lights, unlike the Wi-Fi connection that uses RF. As we know, LED is a semiconductor device and like all semiconductors it has switching properties which can be used to transmit data.

Every LED lamp is powered through a driver, this driver will get information from the Internet server and the data will be encoded in the driver. Based on this encoded data, the LED lamp will flicker at a very high speed that cannot be noticed by the human eye. The Photo Detector on the other end will be able to read all the flickering, decoding it after the Amplification and Processing of data. VLC has a frequency between 400 and 800 THz, while radio waves are just 300 GHz.

How far until we will be able to use Li-Fi?

Scientists say that Li-Fi will probably not completely replace Wi-Fi, but rather the two technologies could be used together to achieve more efficient and secure networks. Furthermore, this is also because replacing the existent Wi-Fi infrastructure with Li-Fi is not feasible. However, research teams around the world are exploring how to retrofit the devices we have at the moment to work with Li-Fi technology.

Li-Fi experts are aiming to start installing Li-Fi technology in hospitals and offer a plug-and-play application for secure wireless internet access, with a capacity of 11.5 MB/second (comparable to the first generation of Wi-Fi).

If applications like these and the trial in Estonia prove successful after further observation, we could achieve what Haas outlined back in 2011, namely the beginning of a new internet era.

Now, prepare to 01100101 01101110 01101010 01101111 01111001 00100000 01001100 01101001 00101101 01000110 01101001 00100000 01110011 01101111 01101111 01101110.

With thanks to trak.in for the image.

Remember the days where you had to wait for someone to get off the phone so that you could connect to the internet?

We might have moved quite a way on from that, but we do still get the occasional connection problems with todays Wi-Fi.

Over recent years we’ve seen internet speeds and Wi-Fi improve massively. Wireless connections are now more reliable than they ever have been, and data speeds are faster.

Unfortunately though, that doesn’t mean there’s never an issue. I used to work from a well known coffee shop a few afternoons a week while my little boy was at pre-school and I can say first hand that Wi-Fi isn’t without issue, whether it’s slow to load or just no connection, sometimes it just doesn’t do what you want it to.

Below are the most common problems you’ll encounter with your home network internet and how you can fix them.

S L O W Connection

This is a common problem and even though the speeds reaching most homes are getting faster and faster, wireless networks can get still get bogged down. You’ll likely find that your internet connection is still working, but it’s just the speeds that are slower than normal. Luckily there is usually a completely logical explanation that is quite straightforward to fix.

Cause: The most obvious (and probably more straightforward) problem with slow Wi-Fi speeds is being physically too far away from the router. The further you and your device are from the router, the more unreliable the connection will be.
Fix: It’s pretty simple… In the words of Phyllis Nelson, moooooove closerrrrrr. Get a bit closer to the router. If it’s in a different room, then try moving into that room and see if it speeds up. If this is an issue that frequently annoys you, and stops you connecting from where you want to, then try moving the router to a better spot. Try putting it in the most centralised location possible within your home, up high, perhaps on a shelf, and away from any other devices which could cause interference. (We’ve got a few blogs which touch on interference and what to avoid when placing your router). If that doesn’t fix the problem, then you could also consider extending the reach of your network by purchasing a second router and a set of powerline network adapters.

Cause: Another potential cause of slowdowns is a lack of bandwidth. If everyone is at home and sitting scrolling through their social networks on their phone, working on their computers, and catching up with a boxset on tv, all of these data-hungry applications will be causing your typically speedy internet to be spread rather thin.
Fix: If there are any devices which aren’t actively being used, then disconnect these. If you’ve got multiple people all trying to stream videos from Netflix, and someone else trying to game online, you could try connecting one or more of their devices directly to the router using a Cat-5 ethernet cable. This would free up some of the wireless bandwidth. If that doesn’t help, then unfortunately the problem may just be that you don’t have fast enough internet speeds to support everything at once. Perhaps you could suggest a family boardgame or a walk outside instead…
There is also a sneakier possible reason for the slowness, and that’s the chance that someone nearby, perhaps a neighbour, is leeching off your Internet. This is entirely preventable – Make sure you stay on top of your setup security, always have your network password protected, and only give it out sparingly.

Cause: Interference. We’ve blogged about this issue a couple of times and it can be a real problem. If you live in a crowded area then this issue is a very real possibility, but there are ways around it. Most people leave their settings unchanged when they initially set up their internet. Default wireless frequency channels (for example 1, 6 and 11) become very over-used.
Fix: Nowadays, we as a consumer are lucky with many newer model routers being capable of automatically selecting the least crowded frequencies upon rebooting. To check this, perform a power cycle on your router. You can also change them manually by logging in to the admin panel and choosing a different channel.In addition to this, if you have a dual-band router, you could try enabling both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. You can use the 5GHz channel for your most important connections.

Cause: Unfortunately, internet speeds during peak hours can slow for everyone, especially, again, in crowded, urban areas.
Fix: The down side to this is there’s not really a great deal you can do about it. If you can try to schedule your internet usage outside of peak hours then obviously that will help, but probably not always possible.

Cause: With wireless technology changing all the time, and having improved enormously over the last decade, you’ll be forgiven for not realising that the problem is simply an outdated router. New wireless standards have been put in place, speeds are faster than ever, fiber is being offered in more areas and devices you never thought would require an Internet connection now need Wi-Fi who’d have thought you’d be connecting your lights and fridge to the internet?
Fix: If you suspect that the router may be the issue, then it might be time to raid the piggy bank and invest in a new one. Best practice is to upgrade your router about every two years and can help you avoid certain issues altogether.

No Internet Connection

Cause: Every now and again, there’ll be a glitch in the matrix and the router or modem (or a combination or both) just stop communicating with each other. Annoyingly, there isn’t always an explanation, it’s just one of those things.
Fix: First and foremost – Try pulling the plug. Disconnect the modem and the router from power and wait at least 30 seconds before restoring power to both. More often than not, this will sort the problem and get everyone talking again.

Cause: Another common problem is the connection dropping completely, and not due to a hardware issue or anything like that, but rather a massive service outage.
Fix: This again, is one of those things that you unfortunately can’t do much about. Head to the nearest coffee shop (hopefully not the one I previously mentioned…) or get on the phone with your Internet service provider (ISP) and tell them affected. Whilst this frustratingly won’t do a lot to speed up the recovery time and get you back online, it will help the ISP know more about which areas are affected by an outage.

Hopefully one of these fixes will have fixed your Wi-Fi issue!

With thanks to osxdaily.com for the image

We are now a world of people who always want to be online and connected. There aren’t that many places where you can go where there is absolutely no reception, no Wi-Fi, no 3G/4G, but a plane used to be one of those sacred places.

A place providing a precious few hours away from the digital realm and a break away from emails, WhatsApp notifications and all sorts of other pings. But no more.

You might have once been able to use the excuse “Sorry I didn’t reply, I was on a plane!” but in-flight Wi-Fi is now becoming an increasingly common offering – Mostly on flagship airlines but possibly the budget ones aswell.

And so you might find yourself wondering – How does in-flight Wi-Fi actually work? How can I get an internet signal when I’m 35,000 feet up in the air?

Well in simplest terms, there are 2 ways this can occur.

The first is from the ground via mobile broadband towers. The signals these sent are received by an aircrafts antennas which are usually found on the base of the main body of the plane.

Theoretically, there should be no interruptions in connectivity as the plane automatically connects and receives signals from the nearest tower as it travels through different parts of airspace. If, however, you are travelling over a large body of water or perhaps very remote terrain then this method can make connectivity an issue.

The second way to get Wi-Fi while you fly uses uses satellite technology. Satellites in geostationary orbit (35,786km above the planet) send and receive signals to earth via receivers and transmitters. These are the same satellites that are used in television signals, weather forecasting, and covert military operations. In the same way that devices on the ground can connect, so can the plane.

Your smartphone or device can then transmit information to and from the nearest satellite signal through an antenna on the top of the plane. The satellite acts as the ‘middle man’ as information is passed between the ground and the plane. Passengers can access Wi-Fi onboard the plane via a router.

As per usual, the US are a bit ahead on the whole Wi-Fi aboard your plane thing. Their infrastructure is much more developed than elsewhere in the world and so you will tend to find better (and cheaper) Wi-Fi offerings on American flights than those in Europe.

So now you know how you can get Wi-Fi on a plane, your next question might be, why is it so slow?

While technology is undoubtedly developing at a fast pace, it has strived but not quite managed to keep up with the sophistication and sheer number of Wi-Fi-guzzling devices and the demand for their use at all times.

The first onboard Wi-Fi service was launched by Gogo (previously known as Aircell) on a Virgin America plane a decade ago back in 2008. At this time, the connection was an adequate 3 Mbps, enough for the functionality of a few laptops (without the streaming of videos – that was prohibited). Here in 2018 however, every single passenger will likely have at least one device that they will want to connect to various apps, websites and multiple services which means there is a much greater strain and demand on resources.

Today you’ll likely see an offering of 12 Mbps via a satellite connection, but these are expensive to maintain and upgrade so we see this technology lagging behind too.

So whilst Gogo has a monopoly on US inflight Wi-Fi, it is been widely criticised for its painfully slow connection speeds.

In comparison to the inflight Wi-Fi speed of 12 Mbps, last year Ofcom reported that UK households enjoyed an average internet speed of 36.2 Mbps so there is rather a gap between what people are used to at home and what people get onboard their flight.

So if inflight Wi-Fi is so slow, why is it so expensive?

Both methods of technology come at a price, as do the in-aircraft systems. Not only that, but the necessary antennas also increase drag, which adds fuel costs onto the airline’s bill.

Factor in the maintenance and engineering costs and you’ll start to see that these fees are passed on to the customers. As with all service providers, there are price variations between airlines for in-flight connectivity, with some (like Emirates) offering the first 10MB free as a trial.

So if we’re paying over the odds for Wi-Fi, will it get faster in the future?

Yes, they’re working on it. The European Aviation Network [EAN] is being developed by communications firm Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom. This will be a high-capacity satellite Wi-Fi network backed up by ground towers, promising to provide “a reliable high bandwidth broadband service in the air” throughout Europe. The EAN is on track for launch this year (more information here https://www.inmarsataviation.com/en/services/european-aviation-network/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-european-aviation-network.html )

By 2020, inflight Wi-Fi is set to be a billion-dollar revenue sector with over half of the world’s aircraft being equipped for inflight Wi-Fi within a matter of years.

Gogo, with a network that covers the whole country, currently monopolises US in-flight Wi-Fi. Despite it being criticised for slow download and upload speeds, it promises that its new 2Ku service will deliver up to 70 Mbps due to upgraded antennas and satellite services. Almost double the average connection you see on land!

We haven’t seen this in Europe yet as the connection to satellites has been patchy due to dense airspace. However, with the imminent launch of the EAN and their launch client IAG (who own British Airways) Europe will start to see Wi-Fi onboard short haul flights as soon as this Summer.

Unfortunately though, Britain’s budget airlines are less likely to be offering this service anytime soon, with Ryanair’s spokesman going as far as saying that their customers enjoy being off the radar and out of contact during their flight.

So you might get away with the ‘Sorry I was on a plane!’ excuse for a bit longer…

With thanks to luxuryactivist.com for the image.

What will happen if my company is not compliant with the GDPR?

Perhaps the biggest question companies are asking themselves regarding this. Non-compliance with the GDPR faces penalties of up to €20 million or 4 percent of global annual turnover, whichever is higher. Ovum reports that 52% of companies believe that they will be fined for non-compliance. It’s also been predicted by Oliver Wyman (management consulting firm) that the European Union could collect as much as $6 billion in fines and penalties in the first year.

You likely won’t be the only one if your organisation is not in compliance by May 25th. The general consensus is that about half of the U.S. companies that should be compliant will not be on all requirements. Solix Technologies released a survey in December where 22% of companies were not even aware that they must comply with GDPR. Furthermore, 38% said that the personal data they process is not protected from misuse and unauthorised access at every stage of its life cycle.

One requirement is looking to be particularly difficult for companies trying to gain compliance – The right to be forgotten. Almost two-thirds of the Solix survey respondents say they are unsure if they can get rid an individual’s personal information forever by the May deadline. This leaves many organisations vulnerable to facing fines.

How will penalties be assessed?

This is the big unanswered question. Will there be a difference in fines between a breach that doesn’t have much impact on an individual compared with one where their exposed personal identity information causes damage? And what will that difference be?

It’s thought that the regulators will want to make an example of a few companies to send out a message to those that are non-compliance. Following this, organisations can make a more accurate assessment of what to expect in the event of being found non-compliant.

Which GDPR requirements will my company be affected by?

Following GDPR requirements will mean companies need to change the way they process, store, and protect customers’ personal data. For example, when an individual consents, companies will be permitted to store and process personal data, but for “no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed.” Personal data must also be portable from one company to another, and companies must erase personal data upon request.

That last item is also known as the right to be forgotten, for which there are some exceptions. There are some legal requirements that supersede the GDPR and mean that an organisation may maintain certain data, for example, HIPAA health record requirements.

Although the term “reasonable” has not been well defined by the GDPR, company security teams must be able to provide a “reasonable” level of privacy and data protection to citizens of the EU.

A potentially challenging requirement is the rule around breach reporting. Following detection of a data breach, companies must report it within 72 hours to supervisory authorities and individuals affected.

Performing impact assessments to identify vulnerabilities and how to address them is another requirement, with the intention of helping to mitigate the risk of breaches.

Successful GDPR – A Case Study

Let’s take ADP as an example. This is a company that provides Human Capital Management via a cloud based system as well as business outsourcing services to more than 650,000 companies around the globe. That’s millions of people around the world that it holds personal identity information for So it’s hard to imagine a company that could be more affected by the GDPR. It’s not just regulators that will expect them to be compliant, but all of their clients as well, as if these clients are to be compliant, then ADP needs to be first. If ADP were to be found as non-compliant then it would not only face hefty fines, but potentially a huge loss of business as well.

The scale and global focus of ADP holds it in good stead and gives them an advantage when facing the regulations surround the GDPR. There won’t be a huge leap to adhere to these as they already adhere to so many privacy laws and security regulations. They are certainly not starting from scratch. There need for compliance is not just as a company, but as a service provider too.

ADP may well be better prepared than most, but it is still a large and global project which they began a year ago. Before GDPR had been discussed, they had already started working on data flow mapping and privacy assessments as a part of new products.

This is what they see as the key for successful compliance – The early onset of data flow mapping. “Data flow mapping is required to do inventory of products, and processing PII is a first step to data protection impact assessments that are required. We’ve also implemented privacy by design in our new offers and products.” ADP even provides training for its developers to support its “privacy by design” policy.

Another step towards success is pulling in people from many areas of the company. This project of complying with the GDPR is something that the whole organisation needs to be involved with. It affects all the operations, and the functional groups, not just a pure privacy or compliance project for the security teams. The right processes need to be implemented across the organisation as a whole.

One mechanisms for securing PII is encryption, which is something that ADP already have in place. Security wise, this is something that can then be communicated to their clients and then onto their employees and clients of their own.

ADP are very clear that they will be compliant and on time. They are a data processor for other companies, so this compliance is something they are making clear to their clients. They want to protect their personal data to the standard expected by the EU regulator, and thus, have applied for binding corporate rules for protecting personal identity data.

Setting a rather good example of where to start and what to do, here are ADP’s tips on beginning the GDPR compliance journey:

• As a company, understand what it means for you in terms of your business. Identify to what extent you will be affected by the new regulations and compile a gap analysis.
• Take an operational approach. Take each function of your organisation, and have a representative from each. This is not just a purely legal or privacy compliance project. Each organisational function representative can determine whether a requirement affects their department, and how they can or already do meet this requirement.
• Documentation. Part of the GDPR is being able to show how you have become compliant. Get your business people to do an assessment, decide what needs to be done, and then document what you are doing.

What should my company be doing to prepare for the GDPR?

• Get top management to set a sense of urgency. You must be prepared.
• Get all stakeholders involved. Get a task force in place that includes marketing, finance, sales, operations—any function within the organization that collects, analyses, or otherwise makes use of customers’ personal identity information. Information will be shared better, and will be most useful to those implementing the technical and procedural changes that the GDPR requires. Each individual team will also be better prepared to deal with any impact on them.
• Conduct a risk assessment: One of the biggest obstacles but the first course of action – you need to know what data you store and process on EU citizens and understand the risks surrounding this. This risk assessment must also outline the measures being taken to mitigate that risk. A key element of this assessment will be to uncover all shadow IT that might be collecting and storing PII. The greatest risk for non-compliance is from shadow IT and smaller point solutions – Don’t ignore them!
• Hire or appoint a Data Protection Officer: This could be someone that already holds a similar role to this position, as long as there is no conflict of interest in terms of ensuring personal identify information protection. If there is no one then you will need to hire a DPO. This could be a ‘virtual’ consultative role rather than a full time position.
• Create a data protection plan: This is something that most companies already have in place. You will need to review and update it with the GDPR in mind, to ensure that it complies with requirements.
• Don’t forget about mobile: According to a survey, 64% of IT and security executives access customer, partner, and employee PII using mobile devices. 81 percent of the survey respondents said that employees were allowed to install personal apps on these mobile devices. In terms of GDPR compliance, this creates a unique set of risks – If any of those apps access and store PII, they must do so in a GDPR-compliant manner which is very difficult to control, especially when you consider that employees will use unauthorized apps too.
• Create a plan to report your GDPR compliance progress: As the May deadline gets closer, organisations must be able to demonstrate how they are making progress with the new regulations by completing the Record of Processing Activities (RoPA). This centres around taking an inventory of risky applications. This will help you avoid being an easy target for regulators. Through doing this RoPA you are identifying where personal data is being processed, who is processing it and how it is being processed.
• Implement measures to mitigate risk: So you’ve identified the risks and how to mitigate them, next you need to put those measures into place. Following the RoPA, your GDPR team can identify and investigate any potential data risks and determine the level of security required to protect that data.
• Ask for help. If you have a small organisation then don’t be afraid to ask for help if needed. Smaller companies can and will still be affected by GDPR, some more than others. If you don’t have the resources needed to meet requirements then there are outside resources available to provide advice and technical expertise to help you through this process.
• Test incident response plans: Companies have 72 hours to report a data breach. Your response teams need to know how to respond and report a breach – Their ability to do this effectively will influence your company’s risk of fines. Do a test and practice this process.
• Set up a process for ongoing assessment: To ensure that you stay compliant, you will need to consistently monitor the processes you have in place and continuously improve them. You may wish to incentivise employees for following new policies, and hand out penalties for those that don’t. GDPR policy observances could even be added to employee contracts.

The aim of all of this is not merely to tick a box and comply for the sake of avoiding a fine. You can view this as a way of improving your business. Not only could compliance be seen as a competitive advantage, but it will also boost consumers confidence in your brand and service. In addition to this, and perhaps most importantly, the changes that will be made in order to comply with the GDPR will result in technical improvements, process efficiency and the effectiveness of how your organisation manages and secures data. All positive things!

With thanks to superoffice.com for the image.

GDPR is a regulation that covers transactions that occur within EU member states, and requires businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of these EU citizens. Non-compliance isn’t an option as it could cost companies dearly, so here below is what every company that does business in Europe needs to know about GDPR.

Companies that collect data on citizens in European Union (EU) countries have until May 25th to comply with strict new rules around protecting customer data. The GDPR will likely see a new standard set for consumer data and their rights – The challenge will be companies putting these systems and processes in place to make sure theycomply.

Security teams will need to assess the new expectations, particularly in terms of what is considered personal identification information. An individual’s IP address and cookie data will require the same level of protection as name, address and Social Security number.

There are some greyer areas where the lack of a set definition creates room for interpretation. Companies must provide a “reasonable” level of protection for personal data, but it’s not made explicit what exactly “reasonable” is. This might make you think that there’s scope for flexibility on the company’s part, however it actually gives the GDPR governing body a lot of leeway when it comes to assessing data breaches and non-compliance and deciding fines.

With only a few months left to make sure your company is complying with the new regulations, we thought it useful to provide key information and advice for meeting the requirements.

What is the GDPR?

In April 2016, the European Parliament replaced an outdated 1995 data protection directive with the GDPR. It sets out to ensure that businesses protect EU citizens’ personal data and privacy for all transactions that occur within EU member states. The exportation of personal data outside the EU is also regulated by the GDPR.

Companies have just this one standard to meet within the EU as the provisions are consistent across all 28 EU member states. The standard however is rather high – most companies will need to make a large investment to meet and to administer it.

Why does the GDPR exist?

Before the GDPR, the EU brought in it’s Data Protection Directive in 1995. At this point, the internet was not the online business hub that it is today, making this directive severely outdated. With the amount of business that is carried out online now, there is public concern over privacy and this is what the GDPR seeks to protect in Europe. Generally, Europe has had much more stringent rules around how companies use the personal data of its citizens, and with the dramatic increase in online business since the last directive, the GDPR replaces these outdated regulations. The GDPR addresses things that were not needed to be previously considered, such as how data is stored, collected and transferred.

Recently there have been a number of high-profile data breaches to hit the headlines, which makes privacy a very real public concern. The RSA surveyed 7,500 consumers in France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the U.S., and found that 80% of consumers said that lost banking and financial data is a top concern. 76% of respondents also stated lost security information (e.g., passwords) and identity information (e.g., passports or driving license) as a concern.

The report’s authors concluded that, “As consumers become better informed, they expect more transparency and responsiveness from the stewards of their data.” 62 percent of the respondents said that if there was a data breach and their information was lost, they wouldn’t blame the hacker, but the company. This is a rather alarming statistic for any company that deals with consumer data.

There seems to be a distinct lack of trust between consumers and companies when it comes to personal information, with 41% of respondents admitting to providing false information when signing up for services online in order to take their own countermeasures against security fears, unwanted marketing and the risk of having their information resold to third parties.

There’s not much forgiveness for companies that suffer breaches either, with 72% of American respondents saying they would boycott any company that seemingly don’t go to appropriate measures to protect their data. However a company that openly proves it’s dedication to data protection would see 50% of respondents choosing to shop with them.

The report concludes that “As businesses continue their digital transformations, making greater use of digital assets, services, and big data, they must also be accountable for monitoring and protecting that data on a daily basis.” This is where the GDPR comes in.

What types of privacy data does the GDPR protect?

• Basic identity information such as name, address and ID numbers
• Web data such as location, IP address, cookie data and RFID tags
• Health and genetic data
• Biometric data
• Racial or ethnic data
• Political opinions
• Sexual orientation

Will my company by affected by the GDPR?

If your company stores or processes personal information about EU citizens within EU states, then it must comply with the GDPR.

The specific criteria for companies required to comply is:

• A presence in an EU country.
• No presence in the EU, but it processes personal data of European residents.
• More than 250 employees.
• Fewer than 250 employees but its data-processing impacts the rights and freedoms of data subjects, is not occasional, or includes certain types of sensitive personal data. That effectively means almost all companies. A PwC survey showed that 92 percent of U.S. companies consider GDPR a top data protection priority.

When does my company need to be in compliance?

Companies have until May 25th 2018 to show compliance.

Who within my company will be responsible for compliance?

There are several roles that the GDPR defines as responsible for ensuring compliance. These are: data controller, data processor and the data protection officer (DPO).

The data controller defines how personal data is processed and the purposes for which it is processed. The controller is also responsible for making sure that outside contractors comply.

Data processors maintain and process personal data records – These can be an internal group or any outsourcing firm that performs all or part of those activities. The processors are liable for any breaches or non-compliance. Even if a company uses a processing partner like a cloud provider, in the event of a breach it is possible that both your company and the processing partner will be liable for any penalties incurred.

A designated DPO is required to oversee data security strategy and GDPR compliance. If a company processes or stores large amounts of EU citizen data, special personal data, regularly monitors data subjects, or are a public authority then companies are required to have a DPO. Some public entities such as law enforcement may be exempt from the DPO requirement.

How does the GDPR affect third-party and customer contracts?

Your company is only compliant if any third party processor is compliant. The GDPR places equal liability on data controllers (the organization that owns the data) and data processors (outside organizations that help manage that data). Everyone in the chain must also be able to comply with rules on reporting any breaches. Customers must also be informed of their rights under GDPR.

In simple terms, all contracts with processors need to clearly lay out responsibilities as well as be revised in order to define processes for data management, data protection and the reporting or breaches. This will be one of the largest exercises needing to be carried out in order to ensure GDPR compliance.

It needs to be understood where data is being stored or processed and where it’s being exported outside the company. Once these data flows are understood and their impact on the business, you can start to identify the vendors you need to be most focused on both in terms of a security perspective, and how you manage those relationships going forward. This needs to be memorialised in the contract itself so that outside firms know what they can and cannot do with the data to ensure protection. This could well see the GDPR changing the mindset of business and security teams toward data from it being an asset to a set of liabilities which is a thoroughly different frame of mind for legal and compliance.

To prepare operationally to handle GDPR compliance, you must go through a process of defining obligations and responsibilities. For example, in the event of a hacking, would your vendors know who to call and how to respond, all the while ensuring they are meeting the required regulations?

The GDPR has a 72-hour reporting window so it’s imperitive that vendors know how to properly report any breach. A regulator requires there to be the policies, procedures, and response structure in place to solve a breach quickly.

All revised and renegotiated contracts need to be in place by the May deadline or else are open to the following possible risks:

• Operational: If you haven’t agreed on what your processes will be with a vendor, it’s not clear how you will be operating under GDPR.
  Vendor management: Under GDPR, you need to know how your vendors operate including their security framework and how they manage data. Without that knowledge, you don’t know the risk they present.
• Regulatory fines: If a breach occurs, not having contracts in place might well work against the company. You need to know, and be able to show that you know, what your vendors are doing and how you are treating the data. This is a reflection on how organised the company is and how well you understand your data flows.

Head to Part 2 of this blog here: https://geekabit.co.uk/2018/03/04/part-2-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr-the-requirements-deadlines-and-facts/

We’ve spoken about interfering neighbours before. Not the ones who ask you to keep the noise down, or ask you to tidy up the garden – The ones whose Wi-Fi network stops yours from working! And guess what, you could be interfering with theirs too.

Common sense says that Wi-Fi networks interfere with each other, and with most houses being within range of at least one or two others, it’s no surprise that multiple Wi-Fi networks all cross over each other causing interference and slowing things down. You’ll also find that older Wi-Fi standards are even worse for this, so your old Wi-Fi hardware isn’t just damaging your network efficacy — it’s interfering with the guys next door, too.
Unless you’re lucky enough to live out in the countryside with no neighbours as far as the eye can see except for some grazing sheep, then this potential network interference is something you need to be thinking about.

Wi-Fi Channel Interference

If you’re living in detached rural loveliness then stop reading now. For the rest of us, you probably live somewhere where there are multiple Wi-Fi networks near each other. To reduce interference, these networks need to be on different channels. All routers must operate their Wi-Fi network on one of several “channels” — these are different ranges of frequencies that the wireless network can operate on.

Most modern routers try to automatically choose the best Wi-Fi channel for the least interference, but you can also benefit from analysing the airwaves around you yourself, and choosing the Wi-Fi channel that is the least congested.

If you and your neighbours are using the same Wi-Fi channel, your Wi-Fi networks are going to make each other’s worse. This is especially true if especially if their wireless router is very close in proximity to yours.

2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz

The 2.4 GHz range is used by the older networks like 802.11b/g/n. Unfortunately these are fairly common in terms of usage and are less than ideal for Wi-Fi channel interference. This range has 14 different wireless channels available and designated for use, but in actuality they overlap quite a bit. The most frequently used are channels 1, 6, and 11, so Wi-Fi networks on adjacent channels don’t interfere with each other.

However, if you have more than three wireless networks in a given area — and let’s face it, you more than likely do — unfortunately they’re just going to interfere with each other. Unless you’re willing to turn your home into something out of the twilight zone and cover all your walls in tin foil, there’s not a great deal you can do to ensure your neighbours’ Wi-Fi signals don’t interfere with yours.

Luckily, the 5 GHz range sees more modern Wi-Fi standards. For example, 802.11ac operates on only 5 GHz. 802.11n routers can operate on either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, but not both — and they’ll typically be set up to operate on 2.4 GHz. (Note: Single-radio 802.11n routers can only operate on the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz range. However, there are multiple-radio 802.11n and 802.11ac routers that can create both 2.4 GHz interfaces for your older devices and 5 GHz ones for your newer devices.)

In comparison to the limited offering of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi where there are only three non-overlapping channels, 5 GHz Wi-Fi offers 23 non-overlapping channels. While this doesn’t mean that the chance of interference is completely banished, it is a much less congested range which give a lot more room for Wi-Fi networks in close proximity to each other to spread out. If you are sharing one of the channels with another nearby 5 GHz WI-Fi network then of course there will be interference, but the chance of this is reduced.

If both your neighbours and you are all using the 2.4 GHz range for Wi-Fi, then you will all get considerably less interference if you go and upgrade to 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks.

Devices Interfering on 2.4 GHz

It’s not just your neighbours Wi-Fi that could be casuing interference, there are also a bunch of common devices that could be causing an issue in terms of internet speed and reliability. Whether they’re your devices or your neighbours, they could be causing a problem if you’re on the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi spectrum.

We’ve mentioned these in previous blog posts, but devices to be aware of are; many cordless phones, a variety of wireless baby monitors, microwave ovens and more. Of course, not all phones or baby monitors will cause interference, but if they are 2.4 GHz ones then they will likely cause a problem.
While you obviously can’t impose your thoughts on what devices your neighbours purchase, a way to avoid potential Wi-Fi disruption would be to upgrade to the 5 GHz range.

802.11b Devices Slow Down Newer Networks

Despite rumours saying otherwise, merely having a device running an older wireless standard nearby won’t cause your network to slow down. Assuming they are on a different wireless channel, your network won’t experience any slow downs due to your neighbour using an ancient 802.11b device on their network.

However, more modern networks like 802.11g or 802.11n being used by old 802.11b devices will cause the network to slow down. This is because the devices have to resort to dirty hacks to avoid breaking that old 802.11b device which slows things down for everyone on that network. Furthermore, if there are multiple networks on the same wireless channel, that old 802.11b device can slow down other networks on that same channel too.

More modern wireless network standards (like using an 802.11g device on a faster 802.11n network) handle this in a more sane way, so you only really need to consider replacing the older 802.11b devices. 802.11b came out way back in 1999 – pre-millennium! – so is definitely feeling pretty ancient now.

Assuming your Wi-Fi network isn’t sharing a channel with your neighbours, then they can use these old 802.11b devices without causing any bother to you. If however you are sharing a channel, this is just one more reason to upgrade to 5GHz and leave those 802.11b devices in the past where they belong. They can’t follow you into the realms of 5GHz.

Would you upgrade to 5GHz just to help out your neighbours? Well maybe, but probably not. But remember that interference isn’t just bad for them — it’s very much two-sided, and if it’s causing interference to them, it’ll also be interfering with yours. So upgrading really helps everyone!

And that’s when good neighbours, become good friends…

With thanks to wififorbeginners.com for the image.

There was once a great resource via CWNP.com (Certified Wireless Network Professional) where they provided a dictionary of terminology perfect for the technical writer. This seems to have disappeared unfortunately, but it is still useful to start with their definition of a site survey: “Site survey is the process of evaluating RF behavior in an environment and determining the best way to implement a WLAN based on this information”.

However, there is some variation with this term today depending on who you are talking to. The term “site survey” can be used to describe various tasks during Wi-Fi deployment.

As we began with CWNP, we may as well carry on. Their Study Guide states “A site survey is the most important step in implementing any wireless network”.

There is no circumstance where you don’t want a Wi-Fi network to truly work, and to the best of it’s ability. Thus, before installing a Wi-Fi network, you should perform a site survey to make sure there will be adequate coverage and performance with that network.
Take this as an example. You are about to deploy an enterprise Wi-Fi network. This network needs to support voice. You want to be looking for someone who understands how important it is to be carrying out a site survey first. You don’t want to be listening to, or buying from, someone who downplays it’s importance.

We spoke about there being a variation on how the term Site Survey is used. There are some Wi-Fi systems that say they have an “automatic site survey” feature. We would describe this more as a self check than a site survey – It is where the access points make a network self-check.
A site survey however should really be carried out where the actual users are, on ground level. Access points tend to be found high up, perhaps near the ceiling as to avoid any potential obstructions on ground level. However, end users don’t usually walk about on the ceiling… And there is quite a difference between RF signal levels on the ceiling and on floor level.

Therefore these automatic ‘site survey’ features are perhaps not surveying the network in the most ideal place, and certainly not quite where the end users tend to be. A site survey is most effective when carried out on ground level, assessing signal strength where the users will need it.

For the remainder of this post, we refer to a site survey as being the process of performing an actual walk-through to acquire information about:

• On-site RF characteristics
• Network connectivity and performance
• Wi-Fi infrastructure setup

How is a Site Survey carried out?

A Wi-Fi site survey is typicall performed by walking around the actual site, carrying a light-weight laptop or tablet computer. The computer will have the site survey application installed. This could be map-based professional software or a basic signal strength indicator. Whilst on the work round, various network measurements can be taken and recorded.

If a professional map-based site survey tool, you would walk around frequently clicking on your current location on the map. Using software of this nature means the site survey application knows where you are at all times. The site survey app is thus able to construct Wi-Fi coverage and performance heatmaps after, or sometimes even during, your walk-through using the location information. This is ideal, as you won’t need to keep stopping and manually recording the measurements as you walk around, but simply just walk around the site once. When finished, the measurements can be immediately analysed.

The best thing about heatmaps is that they really make your WLAN visible: They are great at revealing coverage gaps, any interference issues, areas of excessive packet loss, and unexpected data rate issues.

Not only that, but the site survey can also show up locations and other details about all the Wi-Fi access points. This makes it easy to find any rogue APs, see the MAC addresses, channels and SSIDs in your network, and drill into the 802.11n greater detail.

It’s not all laptop based however. There are a few other tasks that are also very helpful:

• Photos can be taken of the environment and AP/antenna installations. These photographs are much more helpful than lengthy word descriptions and make it easier to remember whereabouts on the site particular areas of interest are.
• Spectrum analysis spot checks – These provide a deeper understanding of non-802.11 noise sources.
• Real life spot checks – For example, if you are deploying for voice, it’s probably a good idea to perform some tests with an actual Wi-Fi phone. Some good Wi-Fi phones have a “site survey mode” that can be very useful, but there is nothing quite like testing an actual call for accuracy.

And that’s about it for site survey basics.

Wi-Fi site surveys are the key tool in anaylsing the performance of your network and helping to diagnose your issues. Here at Geekabit, we provide Site Surveys – For more information head to our website https://geekabit.co.uk/what-we-do/wi-fi-site-surveys/ .

You can also contact us on any of the below; We serve clients across Europe from our offices based in Hampshire and London.

Contact us: London 0203 322 2443 | Cardiff: 02920 676 712 | Winchester: 01962 657 390 |  info@geekabit.co.uk

With thanks to http://www.revolutionwifi.net for the image.

Should there be a rivalry between 5G and Wi-Fi, or are they separate entities?

For some technology experts, mainly 5G sceptics, there is a debate between whether or not 5G is needed now that Wi-Fi is so readily available and perhaps provides all that is needed. Many don’t share this view, particularly due to the fact that a lot of the arguments against 5G come from the dated views from Wi-Fi vs 3GPP.

5G is getting closer and closer as technology and cellular network providers move forward, and thus it is particularly useful to define the terms we are using in relation to this technology when arguing it’s potential effectiveness.

If we are talking about the actual radio standard in terms of 5G, then it would make sense that it will simply be a continuation of 4G. This means that the technology stems purely from the cellular community.

It is widely thought that Wi-Fi will continue on a different track for at least another generation of technology in this vein. Despite some recent progressions suggesting that Wi-Fi will introduce something more substantial, it seems to have lost it’s chance to contribute to the fundamental standards seen by current cellular technologies.

There was some convergence between 802.16 (WIMAX) and 4G, but if the two are indeed to come together once again, we would be looking at 5.5G or 6G.

There will be Wi-Fi extensions that will have some of the same characteristics of a 5G network but won’t be part of the main standards. Currently there are plenty of organisations that would choose a Wi-Fi network rather than a type of cellular network.

Some argue that there if Wi-Fi wants to be the ‘real 5G’ technology then there will be some new challenges. In radio terms, this argument centres around Wi-Fi fulfilling all the requirements for 5G without needing any new cellular standards.

The biggest difference between 4G and 5G will be that cellular 5G will be readilty available in an unlicensed and shared spectrum. This will make it far more available and appealing to stakeholders, and a more realistic possible alternative to Wi-Fi should someone want it, particularly for non mobile network operators.

Caroline Gabriel of Wireless Watch blog details this issue quite well in her abstract from “IEEE seeks closer collaboration with 3GPP, which could create ‘true 5G’” :

THE EXPERIENCE OF WIMAX CERTAINLY SHOWS HOW DIFFICULT IT IS FOR A STANDARD TO SUCCEED IN THE MOBILE WORLD, IF IT COMES FROM OUTSIDE THE FAMILY. AND THAT CERTAINLY SUGGESTS THAT, AS WELL AS CONSIDERING WHETHER TO SUBMIT TO IMT-2020, IEEE 802.11 SHOULD FORMULATE A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE 3GPP, TO ENSURE THAT THE TWO SETS OF STANDARDS ARE IN STEP, AND END UP BEING NATURALLY COMPLEMENTARY RATHER THAN CLUMSILY TIED TOGETHER, OR EVEN COMPETITIVE.

There is however a different definition of 5G as not merely a radio standard but a completely new network architecture. Parts of this are already evolving within Wi-Fi and 4G technology (e.g. virtualisation, carrier aggregation).

Using this definition makes it completely irrelevant to argue whether 5G or Wi-Fi will be superior as the main focus is to be able to mix and match different radios in various spectrum bands. These can be tweaked based on use case, cost and availablility. This dynamic multi-technology creates a more flexible network in which the barriers between Wi-Fi and 5G are broken down, having a transformative effect on business cases and applications. It doesn’t really matter whether it comes from IEEE or 3GPP.

The most important aspect here is the technological advances that a new architecture provides. There doesn’t seem to need to be an argument over whether Wi-Fi makes 5G unneccessary or a debate of Wi-Fi vs Cellular. Wi-Fi will likely remain a popular choice among the majority of business cases, and cellular 5G will undoubtedly provide new business opportunities as well.

With thanks to www.rcrwireless. com for the image.