some airports have free wireless connections.

In some cases, frequent flyer lounges will have free access intended for their members, but if they don't secure the access, anybody within range can use the connection. There's usually a lot of interference around them, so they don't have great range, so you may see groups of people near the door to the lounge taking advantage of the access.

Many wireless routers are set up by default to have no security and some people leave them that way. If you do that, you could be exposing your private data to others. You could also see your internet access slow if somebody uses your connection. If they engage in illegal activity, it could be traced to you.

The tech who unlocked his router to do his friend a favor may have kept his connection secure and let his friend in, or he may have left it wide open. If the latter, I'd be wary of using him for help in the future, since he's willing to set up his own network in a very insecure way.

Thanks for replying. He probably had it secured by a password. Is a password enough security.

For wireless, you want to have either WEP or WPA encryption. WPA is best. That's something that would be configured on the router and your network card. In addition, the router probably has an admin page of some sort. That should be password protected, and with a good password, not something like password or admin. I also change the SSID of any wireless router from the default. Otherwise, you can end up with multiple routers in range, all having the same SSID.

It asked me to name it and I did. When I finished with the wireless, It warned me that it was not secure. Later I found a place on linksys software to make it secure, afterwards it confirmed that it was secure. Then I couldn't connect to the internet, so called linksys 800 number and they walked me through getting it back on line. It seems to be ok now. Thanks for your replies. And I hate Vista, but if determination counts for anything, I will learn how to use it. LOL

Stargazzer - I too have a linksys router and have not secured it. (I have XP but my husband's laptop has Vista.) I live on a small cul de sac and I doubt that anyone but my neighbors on either side could link in to my network (I can't even do it from the far side of the house). Nevertheless - I may look into it. Sounds like you had some trouble doing it. Anything you can share about how you did - or how you should have done it given how linksys walked you backthrough being on line. Or is it complicated enough that I should just call linksys.

PS - My network has two wired desktops, 2 wireless laptops and one wireless Canon all-in-one printer (fax, etc).

Lynn.

Lynn, I have no knowledge of wireless as I am all hard wired. I am responding because you assume you are reasonably safe. Not necessarily so. A couple of years ago in Toronto the cops found a guy in his car parked at 5 a.m. and downloading porn using an unsecured wireless setup in the area. Those downloads are shown as for the homeowner, not the low life in the car.

This is not intended to scare anyone but should be a wake up call to secure all wireless connections.

Lynn, I found a way to secure mine on one of Linksys menus, just look around a bit. After that I couldn't access the internet. The Linksys rep just walked me through uninstalling the router and installing it again and it worked. I don't remember the process. If your router is under warranty they should help you. Have a note pad handy for the pass words and names. I think hackers are like burglars. If your home door is locked, windows secure and lights on outside, they are going to find an easier home to do their dirty work. Same with the hackers, most are just looking for an easy/free access. I was told by a cable tech, just a pass word works. He said they can't do any great harm by hacking your computer. Even if they found your online banking info, they can't get your money. People are so afraid of the boogie man it's terrible to live your life in fear. Ok, I am going to duck now. BTW if my computer is hacked it is my problem no one else's, so I do as I please.

Owbist is 200% correct. I read an article not too long ago on this. I think it was Red Tape through MSNBC.com.

There is a term for the deed, for the moment I can't remember it, where people take laptops into vehicles and just drive around looking for unprotected wireless networks. They traditionally focus on businesses, but do search for residences too. They use them for their own benefit as well as attempt to hack into business networks.

Supposedly they post their findings and successes on boards to brag and share.

Bottom line, you cannot be too safe with wireless.

DA

that is called war chalking, they indeed do go out searching for open wireless connections then they use codes to write in chalk on sidewalks near by or use spray paint so that anyone else driving by can know that there is an open unsecured network in the area. There are also websites they list these address at so it is easy to find them. They can not only ride on your network if you do not have it set up securely they can gain access to your pc and take control of it, some people say oh well nothing there they want but that is wrong, once someone has gained control of your pc they can use it in their network set it up as a zombie bot and do all their dirty work from your pc such as send out porn or spam or infections and all of it will look like it came from you because it did come from your pc, you might notice a slow down in your pc that would be because the pc is busy doing all the task that they have set it up to do. They really could care less what is on your pc in most cases. The spam we all get in our email 90% or better comes to us from just such zombie bot networks which have been taken over and the pc owners have no clue. These people gain thousands upon thousands of pcs to put in their networks, some they get by insecure wireless some by installing malware through various methods.

Securing a wireless network is of the utmost importance and it is really not difficult. Linksys has directions on their pages and it is usually on the directions that come with them. What ever you do NEVER leave your router set up with the default password! this is one place you want to create a nonsense password ( numbers + letters upper and lower case at least 8 long) write it down and keep it safe, you can tape it to the bottom of the router.

this is a good guide by cnet
secure your wireless laptop

Raven I am having problems remembering passwords and taping to the router would work for me. I always use the same one, but not with wireless and other important connections. I quit SBC internet and phone because of passwords and their internet going up $5 every year. My cable uses numbers I can remember. It's h*** to get old, but the alternative isn't to good either.

I don't understand how a person can get on the net wireless without being set up to do so at home?

What I am asking is: If my laptop came with what is listed as integrated Wi-Fi compliant wireless: o Atheros 802.11 b/g/n wireless-LAN,
does that mean all I have to do is ride around and I can find an internet connection to get online even tho I use it as a dialup in my house?

urlee that is exactly what it means. If you have active wifi on your pc that can be turned on then yes you can take off in your car and watch the signal when if finds one it will pop up and tell you, some are open some are locked down, if it is open then you very well most likely can just jump on to their's and do all your surfing.
That is why places like starbucks offer free wifi hotspots so you can come in with your laptop, turn it on , find their open signal and jump on and use it while there. Many places provide hotspots as a free service for customers and most airports have them now too. There are legit webites that list local wifi hotspots also, which is very good for people that travel a lot.

so in turn if you do not have your home setup locked down you are providing anyone in your area a free ride too.

Stargazzer I know all about that h*** getting old syndrome I have it too! If I ever lost my precious logbook with all my sites and passwords I would cry because I can not remember squat these days. I keep that thing under lock and key! Not that I am afraid of anyone stealing it but so I know where it is. I figure if they are in my house stealing stuff it won't make a lot of difference to them anyway they want the stuff. So for me taping it to the actual item is a help for me, they have to get in my house, past my great dane and my security system and me to get it LOL

Urlee have you tried turning it on and seeing if you can find a live signal near you? you might could use it for free instead of your dial up, I do know a few people that allow neighbors to use their signal (with permission)

My thoughts on War Driving (using unsecured wireless connections):
A person drives around with a laptop until they find
an unsecured and open wireless connection to use.
Their use may be completely benign, checking email, etc.
But to draw a comparison,
If I leave my house and leave the front door unlocked,
that is not an invitation for a stranger to come in and use the phone.
Or get a drink of water, or just to get out the heat.
If caught they would be charged with home burglarly.
If I was home at the time they would be charged with home invasion.

We let strangers come into our homes via the television.
We let strangers come into our homes via the radio.
We let strangers come into our homes via internet communication.
But these are people we choose to allow in our homes.
We always have the option to turn off the tv, radio, or computer.
Someone not invited into our homes because we left the "door"
unlocked could be compared to the common burglar.

Don't leave your homes unlocked.
And don't leave your router unsecured either.
You could be allowing trouble into your home.

If someone drives up in front of the house with the unsecured
network, and downloads child porn, guess who's IP address
it will be traced to. And guess who will have some explaining to do.

Lock your doors. Secure you network.

Pooh Bear

Can you tell if someone is using your wireless network?

Some routers keep logs of who accessed and what was accessed.
You could run a packet sniffer and detect who and what.

My router allows me to set up MAC address filtering. If the
MAC address is not on the list, that computer doesn't get access.

Pooh Bear

Thanks Bear

Wardriving is not necessarily using the connection merely finding and mapping ones that are open. Piggy backing is connecting to and actually using the open server. Seric the interviewee of the article I've linked to below is one of the original crew who pretty much invented the practice. The methods he and Pete use are not quite as random as the kid with a laptop.

Warchalking is tagging open connections so others will know they are there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wardriving

Ravencajun Thanks,
I was confused with the word "router" in that one has to be hooked up to one to have wireless reception and be on broadband?
Urlee have you tried turning it on and seeing if you can find a live signal near you? you might could use it for free instead of your dial up, I do know a few people that allow neighbors to use their signal (with permission)

I am sorry to say I haven't gotten a laptop yet as the one I wanted is yet to be.
I am in a quandary right now and resting to unwind.
I have to be sure it is THEE one for my wants.
I first set out to get a Toshiba Satellite then found a Qosmio I had my heart set on only to find it is not available now maybe because of the bad report of trouble with Nvidia graphics????
Now I am wondering if I should stay clear of Nvidia?

Decisions, Decisions!
Too much out there to choose and decide from! The more I read, the more confusion.

Urlee

Stargazzer I too am a member of the grey brigade (old) and need to keep things written down. I went to a dollar store and bought an all plastic picture frame where the plastic is bent 360 degrees and the photo or my details are slipped in between. There is also a bend in the plastic to allow it to stand. I keep my typed list of passwords, program licence numbers and phone numbers. Also my printer ink numbers and anything else I may need to know. It sits on a shelf above my computer.

Passwords, only 2, are coded but the rest is clear. I find it very handy to just reach up and see the info I am looking for without having to turn the room upside down.

Stargazzer, and owbist,

I picked up what's called "Classic Presentation Book" from Wal-mart that is a plastic book with 12 clear full page pockets in it. No rings as they are glued as a binding into the cover. Can slip discription of what it is used for in the pocket on the front cover or edge when on a shelf. Easier for the "uninvited" to see where they are? (smiles)
I then type my info of passwords to which sites along with my user name on a sheet of paper to slip in a pocket.

Avery® Classic Presentation Book 47671, White

Product Number: 47671
Your report is a real page-turner when it's displayed in this Classic Presentation Book. Durable polypropylene provides a sturdy cover for your important information. A window on the front cover allows you to insert a customized title page and spine that boldly announces the contents of your report. Twelve clear pockets inside the cover protect your pages and allow readers to flip through with ease. The acid-free, archival-safe plastic preserves your documents and won't stick to the print or to other pages. Predesigned templates and software at avery.com provide easy customization of title pages. It all comes together to form a book your readers can page through again and again.

- Book contains 12 pockets to hold documents
- Durable polypropylene protects your pages from damage
- Interior pockets keep your pages well protected
- Acid free and archival safe to keep documents in optimum condition
- Translucent cover window holds your title page,

Here is a link that might be useful: Booklet

Thank you owbist and urlee, I will check out both. The picture frame sounds like a good idea. Having a photo on or close to your desk wouldn't be something suspicious if someone wanted your codes or info. I like the Grey Brigade title. I just started traveling with a non profit senior group, their badges are on a cord and they are reused (ugh). I plan to make my own and may put member of "The Grey Brigade". Thanks again.

I'm presently sitting in a hotel in Maine which has a free wireless connection. It is unencrypted. I am using my laptop checking email. I assume this is not safe? When I let the laptop look for the signal, it came up with about 20 stores and restaurants on the street in front of the hotel. I clicked on the hotel's wireless and I'm on-line.

How are you supposed to use a laptop on the road safely?

Jane

Jane I don't understand it to well, but I think what you are picking up is set up for free use. I don't think anyone can get into yours if it is secure. I will be interested in the replies of more knowledgeable people.

Urlee, hey that looks about right for my use, thanks for posting that. What a great idea. The picture frame has limitations but your book offers so much more. Now I need to go into town LOL.

Jane--You're using an unencrypted free wifi access point. Any of your connections that use SSL are encrypted. You can tell that your session is encrypted if you have a little padlock in the lower right corner of the browser (also, the url will usually start with https instead of http).

If you've set up any folders to be shared, you may want to set then so they're not shared, at least while you're at the hotel. Especially if you share with no password (I've seen people doing this on hotel networks before). You need to do that even if the hotel is using wired access or encrypted wifi access.

Also, make sure you're using a good firewall and virus checker.