S60 Open to new features

Security and convenience are often at opposite ends of the spectrum. One of the challenges security-conscious people have is configuring mobile devices to use the insanely complex WPA keys we use for our WiFi access points. Imagine typing something like the following with a typical 12-key phone keyboard:

6t/~:w]k528U'm2PIV}_W(|]SE~^BcM"2|\+UHc`F2g2$IdI}rcFG_ovGF9hg6a

While this random gibberish ensures your WiFi access point is not going to be broken into anytime soon, that's hard to type on a regular keyboard, much less a 12-key keypad!

The solution I came up with might be heresy to some security folks, given that you essentially have to communicate your WPA key in the clear. The likelihood of anyone knowing what that random bit of gibberish goes to--assuming they're listening--is probably pretty small. In my mind, it's an acceptable risk.

I SMS my WPA key (without any explanatory text) to myself. Some operators provide a way to SMS their customers over the web. Others provide an email interface--my preferred method. Check with your operator. This gets the WPA key into a text message on my phone. I use the Copy and Paste feature in S60 phones, as Johanna demonstrates in her latest blog entry, though she uses a haiku she wrote. Same idea, except you paste that blob of text where you enter the WPA key.

Try it out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment.