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To be honest PB I have no idea… there is nothing that flags up security issues on the paraphanalia, so I guess I just have to trust them. Fortunately I use my laptop rarely except recently during this moving lark.
Well as this ”new” technology is getting more & more popular it might be an idea to explore the security of the connection.
I know that if you have a wireless broadband connection at home, it transmits its presence for quite a distance – sometimes hundreds of metres. If the password that is used to access your own connection is ”insecure” (i.e only a few alpha characters and maybe could be ”guessed”) then anybody within range can ‘piggyback’ onto your connection and use it. if your firewall isn’t properly configured, then they can read your traffic or access your computer.
I’m assuming that a similar thing applies to an internet connection via a mobile….. the commonality being that they both transmit & receive data via radio waves. As I understand it, you plug a ‘dongle’ into a USB port and the computer is programmed to dial an access number and handshake your way in to the internet via an ISP.
When you initially instal the software to initiate the connection process, is there a pre-programmed password/number that identifies the connection? Oh and can you alter it and set your own? If so then this may give the necessary security.
Sorry to go on a bit about this but I suspect that it is a subject that a number of our members (and even visitors) might want to know more about.
:shock: i find this odd,i would expect both goofers and pb to be aware of dongle broadband by now. Yes u have the same pass word, fire wall set up, user loggin etc etc that you would have on a home pc. That you may also change as and when you wish. But with the added bonus of a monthly statement that tells you when you have been online. Easy to find fraudulent use that way. And in case your scared of people ” scanning ” your lappy to piggy back your connection theres plenty FREE software out there to prevent this.
Thanks for that explanation Wildwolf – hopefully it will serve to put their minds at rest for those who use this type of internet connection.
I guess that the overall message coming out of this is that your wireless internet connection IS secure BUT only if you take care to use a secure password to protect access to it. Also it underlines the absolute necesstiy for a strong, effective, and up to date firewall.
Well strangely enough it never asked me if I wanted a password. I wouldn’t even know where to stick this password!!
Anyway, today it is acting like dial up and pissing me right off. Slow isn’t the word I’d use right now… a snail would pass over my screen quicker!
Oh well at least Chelsea are 2-0 up… :D
Make that 5-0 :D
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