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137 Posts

5877

September 11th, 2006 16:00

Linksys connected--neighbor's connection?

I found that my "wireless" laptop is getting online now with an unsecured Linksys network that I haven't paid for. Could it be one of my neighbor's connections that I am able to use inside my
house. It is picking up a low signal strength but I was able to get through with my IE Browser and
able to send emails and go to internet sites. I had 36mps.

If I have virus protection and spyware programs, is my laptop protected or vulnerable by using this
connection?

2 Intern

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28K Posts

September 11th, 2006 17:00

Yes, it is likely that you are connecting to a neighbor's non-secure wireless network.   This may be illegal, and, in addition, any thing you send out over the internet (credit numbers, social security numbers, etc.) could be picked up by any one with the capability of intercepting the wireless signal.   Also, if you have file and printer sharing enabled, anyone else on that network would have access to your shared files and/or folders. 

Steve

137 Posts

September 11th, 2006 19:00

Thanks, I don't intend on using it as I can connect
with my laptop using my "wired" Dell Dimension4300 DSL.
I'm glad I decided to stay with the wired system which makes
my setup more secure after finding out how easy the wireless systems
can be picked up by neighbors.

1 Rookie

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168 Posts

September 12th, 2006 00:00

While Volcano's comment is absolutely correct, do not let that discourage you from using a wireless network.  You can create an encrypted network (password or passcode protected) that, depending upon which encryption method you use, can be just as safe as a wired network.  Many home users are not that knowledgeable about wireless networks, so when they set up their internet connection over a wireless network, they don't go through the (easy) process of setting up network encryption to prevent others from accessing their wireless network.
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