Wifi in the marina - how?

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Fuly agree about the security issues relating to others being able to access your system, but not convinced that information is at risk by being transmitted over the airwaves. We are talking about packetised data on a digital connection, which would be very difficult for another user to pick up, let alone interpret.

Its not the same as listening to somebody else's conversation on the VHF! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I stand to be corrected, as ever !

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Nick,

Unless the link uses encryption, ala WEP, LEAP, then it is frighteningly easy for someone to listen in. There are many free applications on the web that allow you to do just that.....

Strong advice..... DO NOT use wifi if it isn't protected by encryption... you are asking for touble....
 
MDL may well be planning wifi of their own as I seem to remember a questionnaire from them a while ago asking what services people would like, and wifi was one of the ones they asked about.

Perhaps that's why they haven't allowed the other people to set anything up.
 
Rubbish, there are many applications which allow you to piggy back onto an existing wifi connection which isn't protected. It's suprisingly difficult to intercept and read connections between the computers on a wifi network.

Anything you want to be protected, like connections to banks and purchases online are protected by encryption, even though the wireless connection isn't
 
Robin,

You can buy all you need from ebay for about £15. Go for a USB rather than pcmia card or ethernet.

The usb type come on a cable, which means you can position, and even add extention cable. You have to be careful tho. Adding extension cables reduces reception, but does mean you can position outside for extra gain, which offsets cable length.

Pcmia cards are great in houses or office locations up to a point if the signal is strong, as cables there are a problem and nuisance.

Ebay sell the USB type for about £15, and the Belkin, tho slated by others, is easy to set up and reliable.

There are two types, b and g. For your needs, the b is slower, but is still faster than any typical broadband connection, and you'd be pushed to find a connection it won't cope with unless you are in an high tech office with high speed connection. So go b, it's cheaper and more than fast enough for what you want.

Happy to expand further, but up to eye balls at moment, so not posting here as much as normal
 
Robin,

It may be as simple as switching your wireless network link on. <Function F2> on emachines but look on the F Keys for an "e" or a radio mast with waves coming off the sides and it will be <Function that key>

Cheers
 
Brendan

Thanks, I started off very confused but it all seems easy enough now I've had a crash course! I would guess it will pay to have a cable extension to outside or by a window with the laptop on the chart table.

Robin
 
Re: THIS IS HOW

You cannot tell the difference, so make the most of it while it lasts. Some leave them open through ignorance, but there are many who have high speed connections (really high speed, not typical home broadband) who encourage people to network in through multiple wifi connections over many miles. There are also community wifi networks which work on a sharing basis.

However, for now, most wifi comes with security disabled. As it matures, expect to see more systems coming off the shelf with security enabled, and fewer home and office wifi networks available for use without passwords. Give it 2 maybe 3 years, and most networks will be secured, and not so much possibility for roaming as now.
 
That's the benefit of usb on cable type. You can move it around to find best reception. PCMIA cards, though great for business people on the move, as no cables or extra boxes, mean you have to move laptop to find best reception.

Ignore people telling you where to look on computer on how to turn on wifi. It sounds to me like you don't have wifi built in, so will need to buy one. They are dirt cheap on ebay. Swmbo sold one on ebay recently even though I advertised it here on for sale forum, for under £15. New they are about £40 or under. Ebay is best bet for cheap used/unused. Don't be worried about used. There is nothing much to go wrong with them if they come with manuals and cables.

Set up can either be very easy, or very challenging, depending on your computer configuration, and how adept you are at problem solving.
 
Having set up many wifi networks for friends and family, netgear is no less problematic than belkin. It depends on the configuration of the computers on the network. Belkin works fine, is stable, and is as easy to set up as any other.

It's when problems occur, that any network setup is difficult to diagnose. Netgear is no better than Belkin in this regard, just personal circumstances
 
"suprisingly difficult"? No - you should see the results of experiments run on wifi networks provided at conferences. All manner of passwords and the like for coporate e-mail systems merrily plucked from the ether. I'll admit that in any given location its probably *unlikely* that someone will be listening in, but its not something I'll risk. I make sure that everything that leaves my laptop via wifi is encrypted (and not just via WEP which in the 40bit version is almost worse than useles).

Rick
 
Re: THIS IS HOW

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how are we supposed to be able to tell if the owner has left it open for free access or hasn't remembered to secure it. .... do we go and knock on the door? If so, which door?!

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Via your network properties relating to TCP/IP. If you get onto a network and find you have limited access then it has certain settings and possibly security set up. There are some commonly used settings that will enable you to try and connect.

The cleverer ones set up User authentication or laptop authentication via your network MAC address so you won't get any further than their Welcome page; and then possibly buy internet time from them on-line.

Steve
 
there aren't many people at your level of expertise crusing the streets with laptops looking for loopholes. As security risks go, not really an issue. For the vast majority of people just surfing internet, then encryption will be done automatically for bank transactions and purchases. Not talking here about business use, just typical home users. Corporate users can take care of themselves, and is a different issue entirely
 
You'd be suprised at who are listening into wifi networks and its not just 'listening in' thats a problem either. A friend of mine in Holland was heavily involved in the recent takedown of a network of over 1million 'zombies' (infected windows pcs) that were being used to extort money, grab bank login details, phishing scams etc. This spread by the usual bogus e-mails, but also by exploiting vulnerabilities in machines on the local network. This would include other machines on a WiFi network. The code was very sophisticated, updating itself with the latest windows exploits (via a few central servers, which is how my friend is now shutting the network down, in co-operation with the Dutch police).

I agreed that web transactions are likely to be inside an encrtyped SSL link, but this is not all you need to be worried about.

Rick
 
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