WiFi security issues? Newbie ? for W7

I'm switching to Windows 7 on my new laptop and I wonder if there are
WiFi issues I should be aware of. I normally have this machine wired
to a hub on a wired modem/router and so I don't use WiFi, but I'm
thinking if I do, there should be some gotchas. Yes this is an anti-
virus question, don't be stupid you a.c.a-v freaks. For the rest of
you, even you Linux freaks, this should be right up your alley.

I have newbie questions such as:

1) Password. You are supposed to change the Default Password from
"linksys" to something else that's hard to crack. Is this done in the
WiFi hardware installation or by Win7?

2) Public vs private network. W7 has a distinction, but all I can
tell is that when sharing a WiFi say at Starbucks, you switch to
"public" from "private" by clicking on the "public" icon in W7 as
shown by numerous HOWTO sites on the web--is that it? Is there
anything more?

3) What if, assuming I get wireless for the home (like I say right now
I got everything at home wired, but I might switch to wireless now
that I got this new laptop), you find that a neighbor is sharing your
wireless connection? I hear this is possible, but does that person
need a password? I think they do. If I give them a password, will
they be able to read my files on my hard drive, or just be able to
share my internet connection? I don't mind the latter, unless they
are a download hog, but I mind the former.

Any advice "appreciated", even from you critics that think they know
it all. You know who you are. Yeah you. Ash whole.

RL

RayLopez99 wrote:
Newsgroups: alt.comp.anti-virus, microsoft.public.windows.vista.general,
alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt, comp.os.linux.setup

Not antivirus, not vista, not homebuilt, not linux setup - and RL
doesn't read some of the groups that he crossposts to

f/ups to cols only - which is where I read the message

1) Password. You are supposed to change the Default Password from
"linksys"

http://bit.ly/hIi5eZ+ This article will guide you on how to change the
password of your Linksys router.

2) Public vs private network. W7 has a distinction,

http://grok.lsu.edu/Article.aspx?articleid=13097 Windows 7: Changing
Between Public and Private Networks

3) What if,

regarding wi-fi security

You should configure your wireless with WPA secured password. You can
get in 'trouble' if someone uses your connectivity for bad purposes.



--
Mike Easter

On 12/19/2010 5:38 AM, RayLopez99 wrote:
I'm switching to Windows 7 on my new laptop and I wonder if there are
WiFi issues I should be aware of. I normally have this machine wired
to a hub on a wired modem/router and so I don't use WiFi, but I'm
thinking if I do, there should be some gotchas. Yes this is an anti-
virus question, don't be stupid you a.c.a-v freaks. For the rest of
you, even you Linux freaks, this should be right up your alley.

I have newbie questions such as:

1) Password. You are supposed to change the Default Password from
"linksys" to something else that's hard to crack. Is this done in the
WiFi hardware installation or by Win7?

2) Public vs private network. W7 has a distinction, but all I can
tell is that when sharing a WiFi say at Starbucks, you switch to
"public" from "private" by clicking on the "public" icon in W7 as
shown by numerous HOWTO sites on the web--is that it? Is there
anything more?

3) What if, assuming I get wireless for the home (like I say right now
I got everything at home wired, but I might switch to wireless now
that I got this new laptop), you find that a neighbor is sharing your
wireless connection? I hear this is possible, but does that person
need a password? I think they do. If I give them a password, will
they be able to read my files on my hard drive, or just be able to
share my internet connection? I don't mind the latter, unless they
are a download hog, but I mind the former.

Any advice "appreciated", even from you critics that think they know
it all. You know who you are. Yeah you. Ash whole.

RL

You will set up your wireless router by connecting it to your PC with an
ethernet cable (temporarily). You enter the router setup by following
the instructions in your manual. For linksys you open a web browser and
type the address http://192.168.1.1 and Go.

The router setup is where you name your network and setup your wireless
security.

Password:
"Linksys" or "Netgear" are not the passwords you should concern yourself
with. They are the default names of your wireless network. You should
change the name of your network to something less identifiable.
Something like 7X5gT0, not something like "Apt 322" or "Joe's House".
Your new router will allow you to enter the setup by using the User Name
"admin" and a blank password. After entering the setup and making sure
your wireless network is working you should change these. Normal User
Name and Password rules work here like any website.
The point is you do not want your neighbor to see "Joe's House" as a
possible connection and then just log in to your router setup using
linksys and no password. Unbelievably, this is the way a lot of wireless
routers are set up.

Wireless Security:
The wireless security type you use must be capable in your wireless
devices. Only very old devices can't handle advanced security encryption.
The security types you can choose from are WEP, WPA, and WPA-2. WEP is
antiquated and useless. WPA is good and WPA-2 is better.
Here is where you will be asked to come up with an Encyption Key. This
is the "password" that is important. Linksys automatically generates a
20+ character key. The longer the key, the better the security.
This key is what you will need to get your PC and any other wireless
device to use the wireless connection.

In Windows
You will see a wireless connection named 7X5gT0 in your Network. You
click on it and there will be a "Connect" button. Click that and it will
connect to the router and up will pop the "Password" screen. Here you
type in that 20+ character Encryption Key to be able to use the wireless
network. Somewhere in here Windows will ask if this is a Home or Public
Network. A home network is treated as a private (secure) network by
Windows. A Public network is treated as an open, unsecured network
connection.
When you installed and set up Windows the OS asked if your PC was part
of a Home or Public Network. You may need to change that in Network &
Sharing Center.

Hope that helps.

On 12/19/2010 5:38 AM, RayLopez99 wrote:
I'm switching to Windows 7 on my new laptop and I wonder if there are
WiFi issues I should be aware of. I normally have this machine wired
to a hub on a wired modem/router and so I don't use WiFi, but I'm
thinking if I do, there should be some gotchas. Yes this is an anti-
virus question, don't be stupid you a.c.a-v freaks. For the rest of
you, even you Linux freaks, this should be right up your alley.

I have newbie questions such as:

1) Password. You are supposed to change the Default Password from
"linksys" to something else that's hard to crack. Is this done in the
WiFi hardware installation or by Win7?

You would access the router through the browser to access the router
administration pages, off of the router's device IP in the browser's
address line.

2) Public vs private network. W7 has a distinction, but all I can
tell is that when sharing a WiFi say at Starbucks, you switch to
"public" from "private" by clicking on the "public" icon in W7 as
shown by numerous HOWTO sites on the web--is that it? Is there
anything more?

In the public domain, you only want to go to sites that are using HTTPS
or your machine has a VPN connection to the site both use encryption, if
credentials are needed to login to the site.


3) What if, assuming I get wireless for the home (like I say right now
I got everything at home wired, but I might switch to wireless now
that I got this new laptop), you find that a neighbor is sharing your
wireless connection? I hear this is possible, but does that person
need a password? I think they do. If I give them a password, will
they be able to read my files on my hard drive, or just be able to
share my internet connection? I don't mind the latter, unless they
are a download hog, but I mind the former.

If using WPA on the router, then the wireless client must know the
password for the WPA in order to access the wireless.

Any advice "appreciated", even from you critics that think they know
it all. You know who you are. Yeah you. Ash whole.


I use my Droid as the 3G Mobile Hotspot for my wireless laptop, which I
am using now, and it's WPA2 enabled.

On 12/19/2010 5:38 AM, RayLopez99 wrote:

Here are some other basics for what they are worth.

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelesssecurity/tp/wifisecurity.htm

RayLopez99 wrote in news:0f6f8bd4-d3a2-4239-
:

I'm switching to Windows 7 on my new laptop and I wonder if there are
WiFi issues I should be aware of. I normally have this machine wired
to a hub on a wired modem/router and so I don't use WiFi, but I'm
thinking if I do, there should be some gotchas. Yes this is an anti-
virus question, don't be stupid you a.c.a-v freaks. For the rest of
you, even you Linux freaks, this should be right up your alley.

I have newbie questions such as:

That's probably because you are a newbie. G
Dude, just type "how do I setup a secure wifi network?" in google.
You'll get *all* of those questions answered in a very helpful fashion.
Newbie style; so you will have no trouble understanding it. If you have
questions after doing this, then present them to the appropriate place.
Say, a networking newsgroup?

I'm not sure why you mentioned linux or windows in the post tho;
Neither of those are relevent for what your doing with the router. It
matters on the PC side sure, but not the router usually.

Any advice "appreciated", even from you critics that think they know
it all. You know who you are. Yeah you. Ash whole.

I consider myself neither critic nor friend. Neutral for the most part.
I'd point out an error if I found one in any persons post; and I would
expect/hope they'd do the same for me. Information is only worth
something if it's accurate ya know.


--
Hackers are generally only very weakly motivated by conventional
rewards such as social approval or money. They tend to be attracted by
challenges and excited by interesting toys, and to judge the interest
of work or other activities in terms of the challenges offered and the
toys they get to play with.

On Dec 19, 3:28*pm, TVeblen wrote:
On 12/19/2010 5:38 AM, RayLopez99 wrote:
You will set up your wireless router by connecting it to your PC with an
ethernet cable (temporarily). You enter the router setup by following
the instructions in your manual. For linksys you open a web browser and
type the addresshttp://192.168.1.1and Go.

The router setup is where you name your network and setup your wireless
security.

Password:
"Linksys" or "Netgear" are not the passwords you should concern yourself
with. They are the default names of your wireless network. You should
change the name of your network to something less identifiable.
Something like 7X5gT0, not something like "Apt 322" or "Joe's House".
Your new router will allow you to enter the setup by using the User Name
"admin" and a blank password. After entering the setup and making sure
your wireless network is working you should change these. Normal User
Name and Password rules work here like any website.
The point is you do not want your neighbor to see "Joe's House" as a
possible connection and then just log in to your router setup using
linksys and no password. Unbelievably, this is the way a lot of wireless
routers are set up.

OK, so apparently a human recognizable network name is a sign of
unsophistication and invites hackers. Got it.



Wireless Security:
The wireless security type you use must be capable in your wireless
devices. Only very old devices can't handle advanced security encryption.
The security types you can choose from are WEP, WPA, and WPA-2. WEP is
antiquated and useless. WPA is good and WPA-2 is better.
Here is where you will be asked to come up with an Encyption Key. This
is the "password" that is important. Linksys automatically generates a
20+ character key. The longer the key, the better the security.
This key is what you will need to get your PC and any other wireless
device to use the wireless connection.

Question: the longer the key the better the security, but I think
(from my experience) the longer the key the slower the connection too,
right? Maybe not radically slower, but it should be slower with a
bigger key. Please confirm.



In Windows
You will see a wireless connection named 7X5gT0 in your Network. You
click on it and there will be a "Connect" button. Click that and it will
connect to the router and up will pop the "Password" screen. Here you
type in that 20+ character Encryption Key to be able to use the wireless
network. Somewhere in here Windows will ask if this is a Home or Public
Network. A home network is treated as a private (secure) network by
Windows. A Public network is treated as an open, unsecured network
connection.

Question: why would anybody use a public network then, such as
Starbucks? Why do people do this? They don't care if people read
their email, is that it? Or does Starbucks always have HTTPS?


When you installed and set up Windows the OS asked if your PC was part
of a Home or Public Network. You may need to change that in Network &
Sharing Center.

Hope that helps.

Yes it does, thanks.

RL

On Dec 19, 5:27*pm, Steel ""Fake99XX1199999fake\"@(Big)
(Steel)theXfactor.com" wrote:


In the public domain, you only want to go to sites that are using HTTPS
or your machine has a VPN connection to the site both use encryption, if
credentials are needed to login to the site.

How would you know if it's HTTPS? Does a little padlock icon show up,
like in Firefox? Also do most airports and Starbucks, in your
experience, have VPN and/or HTTPS?



If using WPA on the router, then the wireless client must know the
password for the WPA in order to access the wireless.


OK, thanks.


I use my Droid as the 3G Mobile Hotspot for my wireless laptop, which I
am using now, and it's WPA2 enabled.

Do you think the bigger (longer) the encryption key, the slower the
connection? Classic communications theory predicts that, but I'm
curious if anybody has seen it in practice. Maybe it's only 10% so
people don't really notice.

RL

On Dec 19, 11:24*pm, Dustin wrote:


That's probably because you are a newbie. G
Dude, just type "how do I setup a secure wifi network?" in google.
You'll get *all* of those questions answered in a very helpful fashion.
Newbie style; so you will have no trouble understanding it. If you have
questions after doing this, then present them to the appropriate place.
Say, a networking newsgroup?


Thanks. After reading this article:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/secur...network/10549/
I've concluded a wireless network is inherently insecure. Might not
end up using it at home.

Practical question: when at airports, Starbucks, etc, and you want to
send an email, do you do so with impunity or with the chance somebody
can steal your password when you log on? I might end up just using
the laptop at such "public" places so I need more info on what to do
there.

Also what is the usenet group for networking? I use Google Groups and
could not find any.

RL

On 12/19/2010 8:28 PM, RayLopez99 wrote:
On Dec 19, 5:27 pm, Steel""Fake99XX1199999fake\"@(Big)
(Steel)theXfactor.com" wrote:


In the public domain, you only want to go to sites that are using HTTPS
or your machine has a VPN connection to the site both use encryption, if
credentials are needed to login to the site.

How would you know if it's HTTPS? Does a little padlock icon show up,
like in Firefox? Also do most airports and Starbucks, in your
experience, have VPN and/or HTTPS?

Do you mean to tell me that you have never been to a Website that is
using HTTPS:\\ in the URL? If you have been to a bank site or any other
site that is using HTTPS as a secure connection, like a site you
purchase things with a credit card, you are going to clearly see the
HTTPS:\\ as part of the URL in the browser's address line.

As for the VPN, the link below should explain it. You also have ISP(s)
that have VPN as part of their customer package, which you can do a VPN
over wireless in a public hotspot to get protected email and other
things provided by a VPN enabled ISP.

http://www.plathome.com/products/pac...html/10-12.htm

The thing is this. If you want security over wireless where you are
giving up credentials like user-id and password to login to a site, then
you should have some kind of secure encrypted connection. You have
people sitting around those hotspot sites, looking to eavesdrop on
sensitivity information and/or credentials.

If you are just surfing sites at a hotspot, big deal, your not concerned
about the security over wireless. But if you are using wireless where
credit card information is being given up to do a purchase, you don't do
it at a hotspot or you make sure that HTTPS is being used at the site to
protect the connection.




If using WPA on the router, then the wireless client must know the
password for the WPA in order to access the wireless.


OK, thanks.


I use my Droid as the 3G Mobile Hotspot for my wireless laptop, which I
am using now, and it's WPA2 enabled.

Do you think the bigger (longer) the encryption key, the slower the
connection? Classic communications theory predicts that, but I'm
curious if anybody has seen it in practice. Maybe it's only 10% so
people don't really notice.


I have not paid any attention to it, because wireless is slower than a
wire connection, a given to be expected when using wireless. I have not
seen any download speed degradation in using the Droid as a hotspot and
doing downloads to the laptop

I also use the Droid smartphone about 99.9%, which can do everything the
laptop can do in a personal usage situation while I am traveling, from
doing MS Office documents to going into HTTPS sessions over wireless
with the HTTPS showing in the smartphone browser's address line, doing
Usenet, email with my ISP and Gmail too -- all of it. All that I was
doing on the laptop, I do with the smartphone.

You don't need to go into a hotspot with a wireless laptop to do
something. That smartphone is a little laptop you carry in your pocket.
I may get a Windows 7 phone too, just on GP.