Encrypted WiFi with no password?
- by Ian Boyd
Is there any standard that allows a WiFi connection to be encrypted, but not require a password?
i know that (old, weak) WEP, and newer WPA/WPA2 require a password (i.e. shared secret). Meanwhile my own wireless connections are "open", and therefore unencrypted.
There is no technical reason why i can't have an encrypted link that doesn't require the user to enter any password. Such technology exists today (see public key encryption and HTTPS).
But does such a standard exist for WiFi?
Note: i only want to protect communications, not limit internet access.
i get the sense that no such standard exists (since i'm pretty capable with Google), but i'd like it confirmed.
Claraification: i want to protect communcations, not limit internet access. That means users are not required to have a password (or its moral equivalent). This means users are not required:
to know a password
to know a passphrase
to enter a CAPTCHA
to draw a secret
to have a key fob
to know a PIN
to use a pre-shared key
have a pre-shared file
to possess a certificate
In other words: it has the same accessibility as before, but is now encrypted.
