While traveling to and from this holiday season most will desire to have some connection to the internet. Hello WiFi. And with so many cities across the country now offering complimentary hot spots, you are almost certain to pick up a connection. The question many face is whether or not there is a risk of infiltration by some unscrupulous assailant in search of personal information leading to the possibility of identity theft, or other detriment.
To help put your mind at ease this holiday season as guests come and go through your front door, not to mention visiting neighbors who may pick up your signal, I've taken the issue of security to the wireless network industry, starting with Netgear.
Q: Is personal information on my laptop free from intrusions/invasions when connected to someone's wireless network while visiting relatives over the holidays?
A: Your personal information is secured as long as the wireless network is secured with WPA and WPA2 security (means you enter a password to get access to the wireless router) and you do not have shared folders in your computer that anybody can access while you are connecting to the network. When your computer is connected to a network, it shows up as a computer in the network on other computers and you are able to share documents, files and folders if only you give explicit access. So if you do not want others to access your files and folders, please ensure that none of your folders are in Shared mode. You can easily check the security settings of your files and folders by checking the properties.
Q: What precautions should I take for further assurance of privacy while surfing at someone else's house, or while they're surfing at mine?
A: When your computer is connected to a network, it shows up as a computer in the network on other computers and you are able to share documents, files and folders if only you give explicit access. So if you do not want others to access your files and folders, please ensure that none of your folders are in Shared mode. You can easily check the security settings of your files and folders by checking the properties.
Q: Is G or N going to make my downloads over the holiday season better, or worst, especially while there are many users surfing at the same time?
A: N will always be better as N provides much higher speeds and range.
Q: Is G or N better for the security of my information whether at home, or away at the home of someone else over the holidays?
A: The security options are the same for G and N.
Netgear's powerful, new WNDR3700 Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit router boasts such features as a dedicated video mode that provides for practically uninterrupted high definition video streaming with step by step video directions allowing you to avoid common, dreadful video stuttering even when floors away from the router. A broadband usage metering will help you control and avoid any overage if there is a limit from your internet carrier/service provider. It boasts USB read and write speeds nearly triple the speed of competitors. And get this, you can even set up an entirely separate wireless network for guests. Speaking of set-up, you'll have the package open and the product set up and operating in less than 10-minutes with just basic common sense.
Click here for a more in-depth explanation of many other features of the WNDR3700, priced at $189.
Comments