How Does Wifi Work - Wireless Internet Access Comparision & Security Explained

Not too long ago, most people hadn't heard of wireless Internet access, but these days, it's commonplace.

There are two basic types of wireless Internet connections. The first is through a cell phone network, which is used by a growing number of people for browsing the web and checking email through smart phones and PDA devices such as a Blackberry or an iPhone.

This works pretty much anywhere you get cell reception.

If you're using a computer to browse the web or check your email, it's more common to use a Wi-Fi connection -- what most people think of as wireless internet.

It basically works like a portable phone in your home. You have the cradle that you plug into the phone line, and the handset works anywhere within range of the radio signal it's sending.

This is exactly how a wireless router works -- the router is hooked up to an internet connection, and broadcasts the signal to a wireless card in your computer (or sometimes a little device you plug into the computer).

So the router is like the portable phone's cradle, and the wireless card is like the handset.

Does that make sense?

There are a lot of advantages to using wireless internet. Using wireless internet lets you put your computer in a different room of the house from where the internet connection is, or roam from room to room if you have a laptop. It also lets you have more than one computer share the internet connection.

And of course, if you have a laptop, you can take it with you during the day or on a trip, and can find a lot of places where you can use the internet, often for free.

But there are some risks to using wireless internet. Using wireless internet can open your computer up to a lot of possible risks.

Whenever you connect to a router, either through wires or wirelessly, you are connecting to a network, which is then connected to the internet (which is just a very very big network).

With a wired network, if someone wants to join the network, they have to plug in. With wireless networks, unless the network is protected by security, anybody nearby can connect.

From time to time, I use a program to "sniff" out unprotected networks. There are many programs like this that anyone with a little knowledge can download for free. I simply drive around town with my laptop in the passenger seat running the program, and it constantly looks for any open networks.

When my computer finds one, it beeps at me and I can get instantly in with a couple of clicks.

This is something called "Wardriving" and people do it all the time. Most are doing it just to check their email quickly while on the road without having to pay at an internet cafe, but some are doing it for more sinister purposes.

Leaving your network open is just as dangerous as keeping filing cabinets full of personal or business information sitting open on the street next to a sign reading: “Take what you want.”

With a traditional wired network, a person needs to physically plug in a cable inside your home or office to get into your network. With a wireless network, unless it’s protected, anyone within range can get into your network with a click of a mouse. Once they’re in they could:

• Use your internet connection for free
  
  
• Look at the contents of your hard drive and read, change, or delete email, pictures, Word documents and other personal files, business information, and confidential client information including social security numbers, credit card numbers, etc.
  
  
• Use the information collected about you or your customers for identity theft. This could cost you thousands of dollars in lost credit and time rebuilding your name, or thousands more if a customer sues you for giving out their information
  
  
• Send spam (junk email) to thousands or millions of people while making it seem to come from you
  
  
• Take control of your network, locking you out of it and the internet (both email and web pages)
  
  
• Install a virus, worm, or a backdoor program giving them control of your computer
  
  
• Do illegal music trading over the internet, drastically slowing down your connection and making it look like you are the file trader. The recording industry is currently suing file traders for an average of $3,000 per lawsuit
  
  
• View porn sites, including potentially child porn, which could get you arrested if it's traced back to your network.
  

You must realize by now how important it is to act now to protect your network. If you don’t you risk losing your name, your reputation, and even thousands of dollars. Fact is, if you have a wireless router (most routers sold these days are wireless even if you aren't using them wirelessly) and you just plugged it in and started using it then 99% likely you are not safe.

Your home or office wireless network should always have "encryption" turned on, which is like a home security system that only gives access to someone with the right password. They're not impossible to break into, but they make it too hard for most people.

If you use your laptop in a public network like at an internet cafe or other public wireless hotspot (whether or not you have to pay to use it), you run many of the same risks, especially if you don't have a firewall turned on, aren't using good enough (or any) antivirus software, and more.

Understanding all the important factors in protecting your computer's security is absolutely critical these days. Most people using computers are in danger without even knowing it. Make sure to educate yourself and keep yourself safe.

One way to do that is to subscribe to my free computer tips newsletter, or go one step better and learn from my easy computer tutorial CDs that show you step by step the basics of using your computer and keeping it secure from a variety of threats.