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I have a hard-wired internet connection with virgin media, but recently
bought a laptop and find the wires a nuisance, so am now considering going
wireless just for the sake of more 'freedom' around the house.
The thing is, I am not tech-minded and know nowt about internet security,
but some friends have said that a wireless connection could be easily hacked
by my neighbours and they'd be able to see my personal data. Is this true?

I have 2 PCs hardwired to the broadband modem, but use only one machine at a
time, hence no router in use.
I will have to buy a router as the laptop (and 2 PCs) will need this. If I
buy a router which has wireless capability for the laptop and hard-wired for
the PCs, will this mean that a hacker-neighbour still be able to access my
PCs via the laptop's wireless connection...'even though the PCs are
hard-wired?

Is there another way for me to have a wireless connection for the laptop and
also have my PCs hard wired but seperate from the laptop? i.e. Laptop not
part of the 'network'?

I am at a loss as to what to do here, so any advice appreciated.

Cheers.
Joe.

In news:kUh4j.18296$ k "Joe"
<> wrote:

> The thing is, I am not tech-minded and know nowt about internet
> security, but some friends have said that a wireless connection could
> be easily hacked by my neighbours and they'd be able to see my
> personal data. Is this true?
>

If you enable the security features built in to your wireless router and
wirless interfaces in your PCs, then no.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

"Joe" <> wrote in message
news:kUh4j.18296$ k...
>
> I have a hard-wired internet connection with virgin media, but recently
> bought a laptop and find the wires a nuisance, so am now considering going
> wireless just for the sake of more 'freedom' around the house.
> The thing is, I am not tech-minded and know nowt about internet security,
> but some friends have said that a wireless connection could be easily
> hacked by my neighbours and they'd be able to see my personal data. Is
> this true?
>

Yes, alas it basically is true, the biggest problem is bandwidth
theft/hogging,
where someone else uses your WiFi connection, but security is also
lacklustre.
This is a BBC article on the subject:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7052223.stm
Also google "Wi-Fi security" to get plenty of articles on the problem.
My advice - don't risk Wi-Fi.

On 2007-12-01, Joe <> wrote:

[...]

> I am at a loss as to what to do here, so any advice appreciated.

Make sure you get a wireless router that can handle WPA encryption and
includes its own 'firewall'; read the istructions carefully. There
should be a setting to prevent any computer connecting wirelessly unless
its MAC number is already on a list held by the router (MAC filter or
some such name).

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

Joe wrote:

>
> I have a hard-wired internet connection with virgin media, but recently
> bought a laptop and find the wires a nuisance, so am now considering going
> wireless just for the sake of more 'freedom' around the house.
> The thing is, I am not tech-minded and know nowt about internet security,
> but some friends have said that a wireless connection could be easily
> hacked by my neighbours and they'd be able to see my personal data. Is
> this true?
>
WEP can be hacked in less than a minute, so WPA is your only option here,
for securing your wireless.

> I have 2 PCs hardwired to the broadband modem, but use only one machine at
> a time, hence no router in use.
> I will have to buy a router as the laptop (and 2 PCs) will need this. If I
> buy a router which has wireless capability for the laptop and hard-wired
> for the PCs, will this mean that a hacker-neighbour still be able to
> access my PCs via the laptop's wireless connection...'even though the PCs
> are hard-wired?
>
Once the access to the router via wireless is hacked, the cracker can see
all devices on your net, no matter if wired or wireless. Unless the router
allows separation of networks, which a standard homerouter won't do.

> Is there another way for me to have a wireless connection for the laptop
> and also have my PCs hard wired but seperate from the laptop? i.e. Laptop
> not part of the 'network'?
>
Not with standard soho routers.

> I am at a loss as to what to do here, so any advice appreciated.
>
Get one with WPA, and your laptop network driver must supply wpa as well.
MAC address filtering is no real security, since MAC addresses can be
sniffed and then spoofed in no time.