A Sample of Consumer Wi-Fi Use & Security in the UK

Wireless networking technologies permit a great deal of convenience for mobile users. However, as is often the case, increased levels of technological freedom means there is more potential for abuse and misuse of these services. In this work we find the uptake of wireless networking technology has risen rapidly in recent years and the perceived awareness of security issues has also been heightened. We undertake a number of practical investigations in various communities to determine exactly how many and how accessible Access Points (APs) are in the metropolitan environment. This paper presents comparisons between previous and new independent studies carried out by two research teams in different areas of England and Wales, in the United Kingdom (UK).