Wireless Template Issues

binarynomad

Hi there, I just wanted to drop a note about something I noticed about one of the account templates: "[b]Wireless Router[/b]"



While supporting clients, friends, and family, I find I have a great need to store wireless network information in my 1Password chain. But every time I goto create a Wireless Router account I keep being frustrated and reminded why I end up using secure notes to store the data.



I believe the template for wireless routers is too Apple specific and as such it doesn’t address that majority of wireless routers out there. I know a significant number of MacBook users that use a number of wireless products that are not part of the Apple Airport system.



For example, all wireless routers (except for Apple) have these fields in common:



AP Hostname

AP Admin ID*

AP Admin Password

SSID or Wireless Network Name

Wireless Security Type

Wireless Password

[i](*Apple is one of the very few APs that I know of that doesn't require a login name.)[/i]

(AP = Access Point)



The current template covers most of these, except for the (AP Admin ID), but some of the field names are confusing in nature:



BASE STATION NAME (AP Hostname) = OK

BASE STATION PASSWORD (AP Admin Password) = OK, but no field for Admin ID

SERVER / IP ADDRESS (AP IP Address) = CONFUSING, IP address is clear but what is "Server" in this context?

AIRPORT ID (SSID?) = CONFUSING, not everyone has an "Airport" and is this the SSID?

NETWORK NAME (SSID?) = CONFUSING, do you mean local domain name or SSID?

WIRELESS SECURITY (Wireless Security Type) = OK

WIRELESS NETWORK PASSWORD (Wireless Network Password) = OK

ATTACHED STORAGE PASSWORD (??) = OK, I realize some routers support attached storage.



I'd like to submit a request to either (a) create a second more generic wireless template, or (<img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> bring the existing wireless template closer to standards.



Thanks,

Brian H

Ben

Hi Brian,



Thanks for the feedback. Our fields for this template are pretty Apple specific in some instances. I certainly wouldn't start using field names like "SSID" as even though you and I know what that is, it certainly isn't part of common vernacular (unless used in conjunction with another term such as "Wireless network name (SSID)").



Really you can store whatever information you want in whatever field you want so long as it makes sense to you. After all, you're going to be the only one looking at it, right? <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />



We should probably re-evaluate some of these field names though. Thanks!

binarynomad

Hi Ben,



Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it. (After seeing the flood of messages that this forum gets, I half expected it to be lost at sea <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' /> )



I completely agree with you, a lot of people would not understand the (SSID) vernacular, I was only using it in that context as short hand for the Wireless Network Name moniker (which I'm currently guessing is your Airport ID field).



I do realize that this template is not being used to apply any passwords to a webpage, so I'm free to put any data in any field, (technically I could use Network Name as Admin ID/Name) but there are times I have to export a group of passwords that belong to one of my clients and it is hard for them to understand what substitutions I've made. (and add to that the ambiguous name of Server and Network Name and they sometimes get flustered)



(I should note, I'm an IT Consultant, so I regularly build/create systems for clients, which includes creating ID/PW information, and then I have to export it so they have a full copy of how to get into their own systems)



-- Brian

[Deleted User]

Brian,



Thanks for the feedback, I believe we're hoping to make it possible to completely customise templates within a future version of 1Password, and even create your own, so you could create a 'Brian's Awesome Network Setup' template and set this up as you need to for your clients.

binarynomad

Hi Stu,



Just to make sure I fully understand. The template is used as a onetime stamp each time you create a new object in the 1Password system. So If I were to build a custom template, create a number of passwords entries using it, then export those entries to a HTML or Interchange file, they (my client) will see all of my custom fields and associated data, without them needing to first recreate the same template (unless they too wanted to use my naming system for future passwords)?



Note: I'm starting to get most of my clients to use 1Password too. It's a great cross-platform password manager.

[Deleted User]

Well, I don't have all the details of how custom templates will work right now, so I couldn't say for certain but that would certainly seem like the logical way to have that implemented.



Also, one of the other features we're hoping to bring is data sharing, again no timeframe for when this will be in place exactly but I believe our vision is to make it much easier to share out items to clients and other team members.

binarynomad

That's great news and I look forward to seeing how things develop.



Thanks,



-- Brian

[Deleted User]

Hello Brian,



On behalf of Stu, you are very welcome!



I look forward to seeing how the future unfolds too. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />



Cheers!



Brandt

benfdc

I second binarynomad's points about the desirability of updating the Wireless Router template (which I believe is still called the AirPort template in 1P/Win).



In addition to a Username field for logins, the other field I'd most like to see would be WPS PIN. Putting the PIN in the Notes is less than optimal because 1Password doesn't conceal it. I haven't set up an Attached Storage Password on either of my routers that support attached storage, so I use that field for WPS PINs, but that's not ideal either.



Also, the current template only has space for a single MAC address (which it calls AirPort ID). However, my Wi-Fi routers have as many as four different MAC addresses: Wireless (AirPort ID in Apple-speak), Ethernet, WAN (physical), and WAN (cloned).



I usually set up separate "factory default" and "as-configured" accounts in my 1Password keychain for each of my routers. If the new template has only one WAN MAC field, I'll put the cloned MAC in the as-configured account. But I think you best serve your users by providing templates that include fields for whatever information is useful to record. Your email account template is excellent in this regard, and it would be great to see the Wireless Router template elevated to the same level. So I would vote to include a separate field in the template for a cloned WAN MAC.



Also, let me suggest that the 1P/4 Wireless Router template include, parenthetically, the old 1P/3 field names. This will clue your users into how you have mapped fields from the 1P/3 template to the 1P/4 template. I've often entered a router's SSID in the "AirPort ID" field, and I suspect that I'm not alone. If the 1P/4 template renames that field "Wireless MAC Address," users might be confused. But if the template has fields labeled "SSID (Network Name)" and "Wireless MAC Address (AirPort ID)," then the source of the problem, and the solution, may be more apparent. And that *might* reduce demands on customer support <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' />



—Ben F

khad

I don't remember seeing any support issues for this outside of this thread, but it would certainly be nice to improve this. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



As you know, I can't promise anything about unreleased products/features, but I believe this will be resolved in version 4.