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From: Marce Schulz (no email)
Date: Fri Jan 03 2003 - 18:25:45 EST
There's a lot of misinformation circulating about WiFi, marine or otherwise.
Those interested can go to a general WiFi clearinghouse site, for example
www.pghwireless.com, where you can find links to articles of interest and a
wardriving mapserver. Check out the mapserver, and prepare to be surprised
at how pervasive WiFi is already. This is the future, folks, even if all the
kinks haven't been worked out yet.
A few things to keep in mind: Changing the default network ID and channel
number do NOT keep anyone from hopping onto your connection. Your WiFi
gateway broadcasts this info, whatever it is. I have my laptop set to "any"
and "scan" rather than the name of MY network, and if there's anything
nearby, I'm online. In this town, it's hard to find a cafe that ISN'T
'unwired.'
Your security precautions must be, as Phil says, in the form of basic
encryption and passwording, to keep others off YOUR COMPUTER, if not off
your connection.
The main thing to know is that someone getting to the internet through your
wireless connection is not necessarily "stealing your eyeteeth." There is a
big difference between hacking into your computer, and hopping onto the
internet using your WiFi connection. One is clearly criminal and the other
is a gray area that some might see as akin to stealing cable TV, but others
see as free, like radio. Once those waves leave your house or boat, you
can't really control who receives them. You CAN, however, keep people off
your computers.
It's going to be an interesting revolution to watch in the coming year. Many
people (myself included) believe that in the very near future, almost all
internet access will be wireless. Security capabilities will develop to keep
pace.
Marce, who's been wireless for 2 years, 'tho not aboard, but would be if I
were.
Spellbound
(SNIP) -----Original Message-----
First, change the default network name
(LINKSYS) to something else, next turn on wireless encryption and set a
pass-phrase resulting in an encryption key which other computers on your
network will need to connect. I also change the default channel number
to something else.
Bottom line is if you don't take precautions to apply security and
change defaults, any clown can get on your network and steal your eye
teeth. My guess is many people utilizing these emerging WiFi services
will learn this the hard way...
Regards......
Phil Rosch
Giga Information Group
(401) 742-6970
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