Just as you would be careful when it comes to placement (or hiding) of your Safe (a.k.a. Vault, Strongbox, or Safe Deposit box), you ought to be equally careful (if not more!) in deciding how and where you ought to mount/install your wireless gear. Just as it makes no sense to bolt your safe deposit box right next to your mailbox on the curbside in front of your home, there is no good reason for locating your wifi gear on the outer fringes of your location as well.

Considering that there is usually no visible sign of someone stealing your data-packets and walking away with your confidential information, only a small number of digital-theft victims are fully aware of their digital assets being stolen by others. It is very important, therefore to be very careful in locating your wifi gear judiciously.

Here is how to (relatively) temper-proof your wifi gear by better placement/location:

1. Locate your AP Centrally: Just as it would be a bad idea to bolt your Safe to the inside of your outermost wall, it is usually not a good idea to mount your APs on structures close to the exterior boundaries of your location. Placing your APs centrally not only provides you better coverage through out your location, it also help you make them less-visible to those war-driving around your location probing for vulnerable APs/WLANs.
   
2. Shield Your Wireless Transmitters/Radiators: If you do not have a wifi client in certain area of your location, shield your wireless radiator so as to absorb all radiations going in that general direction.

   For example, if you do not have any wifi clients located on the North side of your AP, place a piece of (highly conductive) sheet-metal north of your AP (in close proximity) and then test signal strength (if any) in that part of your building. Doing so is like putting on a tinfoil hat on your AP, or using a wave-guide; and it certainly helps you limit your exposure. When it comes to wireless eavesdropping, you should always assume big brother (or should we say bad brother) is watching.

3. Reduce Antenna Power Output to Safeguard Your Data, and to Minimize Human Exposure to Harmful Radiations: Many wireless transmitters allow you to adjust signal strength. Higher the output power, greater is the distance your signal will travel. So if you are getting a solid connection with your transmitter working at 25% power output level, why run it at 100%?

   Reducing radio output power will not only shrink the radius of your wireless network, it will also save you and your WLAN users from unnecessary (health risks due to prolonged) exposure to potentially harmful radio frequency waves -after all, most of these wireless devices use the same radio frequency (RF) that we use in our microwave ovens to cook our food.

4. Place Low Power Radiators on the Outside, and Locate Regular Power Devices Centrally: There is no reason to place high-powered wireless transmitter operating at full-blast throughout your network topology. Mounting high-power wireless radio transmitters near the outer perimeters of your WLAN only extends your network to areas beyond the "usable footprint" of your wireless network.

   An intruder would probably have a greater chance of going undetected if she can conveniently be located farther away from your location. Bring your enemies closer -reduce your radio output!

5. Require Your WLAN Design Engineers to Shrink Your Wireless Boundaries Close to Your Locations' Ground Footprint:
   Shrinking your wireless boundaries as close as you possibly can to your locations' physical boundaries is not only good for security of your network, it is also a good/courteous thing to do for sake of your neighbors. Just as you would not appreciate being subjected to loud music from your next-door neighbor, no one would appreciate your radio frequency network blasting away into his or her air-space/real-estate.

You should expect your wireless network design engineers to keep security of your network in mind when it comes to placement of your wifi gear -not just coverage. Mounting wifi gear near or outside of someone's physical location, and having those devices operating at full-power is not only irresponsible and unsafe practice, we believe doing so is actually a serious design flaw -bordering on outright irresponsible negligence. Expect better from your wifi engineering consultants -expect a placement schema that is safe for your WLAN users, secure, and efficient.

Want to protect yourself from the imminent liabilities that may result from having operated an unsafe Wireless LAN?

Great. Doing so is not that difficult. Here is what we recommend:

• Have an Engineering Professional Review/Survey/Certify your WLAN: It is important to retain an engineering professional who is well-versed in not only wireless technologies, but also in pertinent FCC Rules and RF Safety Guidelines. Not only (s)he should verify that your network topology is safe and sound, but also that the RF output from all your radio transmitters (and placement thereof) is within safe/legal limits.
  
• Implement Any Changes Recommended: Promptly follow her/his recommendations on any changes needed.

In order to ascertain (and clearly document) that you are not (recklessly or negligently) subjecting your wireless LAN users to excessive/harmful RF radiations; you need to essentially ensure two things: (1) that the RF power output from your RF gears (i.e. radiation levels generated by individual elements, as well as combined output thereof) is well-within the limits mandated by FCC, and (2) that none of your radio transmitters (especially high-gain antennas) are dangerously close (e.g. less than 1 meter or ~3 feet) to any of your wlan users.