Could Nikon have done better with the D750’s Wi-Fi network?

Posted on by David Busch
On the one hand, the D750’s default unsecured network isn’t quite the catastrophe that the hysteria has made it out to be. Wi-Fi is disabled until you turn it on and only one smart device can access your camera at a time, and that will generally be yours if you activate the power-sucking feature only when you are actually using it (to avoid premature battery depletion.) Moreover, you are vulnerable *only* if someone in your near vicinity is actively trolling for D750s.

But could Nikon have done better in implementing this feature? Theoretically, yes. Alert reader Michael B. points out that some modems are shipped with unique passwords, and Nikon could have done something similar. For example, each D750 could have shipped with a secure connection enabled, and requiring a password of, say, the last eight digits of the camera’s serial number.

That sounds good, but how practical would such a measure be? Does Nikon even have the expertise to customize each and every D750’s firmware as the camera rolls off the assembly line? How much would this extra step increase the price of the camera if it were used as a replacement for the relatively cost-free (for Nikon) procedure of having any buyer who owns a smartphone download the WMU app and type in a password? The company’s only cost would be to insert in the package a bright yellow WARNING card with complete instructions on how to enter a password.

Of course, that then begs the question: would D750 buyers have the skills or inclination to use the default password, especially considering that, presumably, only a minority of D750 owners are likely to use the Wi-Fi feature at all? My guess is that this extra layer of complexity might even muddy the issue more. While Nikon *could* have eliminated the default open Wi-Fi connection, it might have been more trouble than it was worth. We’ll see how the company reacts to the outrage, which so far has come largely from folks who won’t be using the feature at all.

Photo: Could Nikon have done better with the D750's Wi-Fi network? On the one hand, the D750's default unsecured network isn't quite the catastrophe that the hysteria has made it out to be. Wi-Fi is disabled until you turn it on and only one smart device can access your camera at a time, and that will generally be yours if you activate the power-sucking feature only when you are actually using it (to avoid premature battery depletion.) Moreover, you are vulnerable *only* if someone in your near vicinity is actively trolling for D750s. But could Nikon have done better in implementing this feature? Theoretically, yes. Alert reader Michael B. points out that some modems are shipped with unique passwords, and Nikon could have done something similar. For example, each D750 could have shipped with a secure connection enabled, and requiring a password of, say, the last eight digits of the camera's serial number. That sounds good, but how practical would such a measure be? Does Nikon even have the expertise to customize each and every D750's firmware as the camera rolls off the assembly line? How much would this extra step increase the price of the camera if it were used as a replacement for the relatively cost-free (for Nikon) procedure of having any buyer who owns a smartphone download the WMU app and type in a password? The company's only cost would be to insert in the package a bright yellow WARNING card with complete instructions on how to enter a password. Of course, that then begs the question: would D750 buyers have the skills or inclination to use the default password, especially considering that, presumably, only a minority of D750 owners are likely to use the Wi-Fi feature at all? My guess is that this extra layer of complexity might even muddy the issue more. While Nikon *could* have eliminated the default open Wi-Fi connection, it might have been more trouble than it was worth. We'll see how the company reacts to the outrage, which so far has come largely from folks who won't be using the feature at all.

 

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