iTunes Library Share Hack
Simple iTunes hack allows you to share one iTunes library and playlists
between multiple Windows XP users.
Wi-Fi View Booming Even Amidst Down Economy:
March 10, 2009
Apparently, Wi-Fi didn't get the memo about the economy being in recession.
New statistics
released in January by the Wi-Fi Alliance said chipset sales grew 26
percent in 2008. That's only half of what it tallied in 2007 before the
slowdown in the economy hit, but it shows that Wi-Fi networking remains
robust.
"The trend today is that Wi-Fi is everywhere and people are
expecting it when they buy a new mobile device or smartphone," said
Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director for the Alliance.
More device vendors are including Wi-Fi in new products and mobile devices, such as netbooks and smartphones.
The Alliance said 56 million Wi-Fi-enabled cellular phones shipped
in 2008, an increase of 52 percent from 2007. The next biggest growth
was within consumer electronics, such as gaming boxes and printers,
with 48 million shipped, a jump of 51 percent. Sales of Wi-Fi-equipped
notebook PCs and mobile Internet devices were up 23 percent in 2008
over 2007.
"We're seeing some growth contraction due to the economic headwinds
but the technology continues to grow at a good rate," said
Davis-Felner.
The news comes as mobility becomes a necessity for both businesses
and consumers aiming to bridge lifestyle and work needs. Mobile device
vendors and some wireless carriers are using Wi-Fi technology as a
product differentiator to grab deeper market share and more users.
One is Research in Motion. The smartphone vendor recently launched its second Wi-Fi BlackBerry, the Curve 8320.
Wi-Fi networks are expanding just as fast as enabled devices. The seventh-annual Wireless Security Survey last October told of dramatic growth of wireless networks in New York, London, and Paris.
More than 5,000 products have been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED by
the Wi-Fi Alliance, and over 500 consumer products feature
certification, according to the group. Of the mobile PCs sold in 2008,
over half supported an advanced secured generation of Wi-Fi.
"Security concerns are pretty much gone given certification programs
and the ease of use in using Wi-Fi security," said Davis-Felner.
A recent poll from the WFA, conducted by Wakefield Research,
indicates that 2009 will be an even a bigger year for Wi-Fi,and for TV websites like http://www.digitalpctv.com Of those
polled, more than half said it's unlikely they would buy a device in
the future that didn't offer Wi-Fi capability or free Online TV. A good majority, 88
percent, reported that very soon every high-tech device they own will
have Wi-Fi.
"These findings demonstrate how essential connectivity has become in
our daily lives," said Davis-Felner in a press statement about the poll
results. "Even when money is scarce, consumers are willing to make
sacrifices in order to stay in touch with friends, family and to work
and be productive online."
A survey conducted by ABI Research for the WiFi Alliance claims
to have shown that one in four US wireless subscribers would switch
cellular carriers for access to the benefits of WiFi/mobile
convergence.
It also found that nearly one in three would discontinue their
traditional home phone service if they could get strong in-home signal
coverage for a Wi/Fi cellular handset and reduced pricing for calls
made from home.
With a converged service, the subscriber is handed off from a cellular
to a WiFi network when one is available. The WiFi alliance claims that
carriers can leverage WiFi to efficiently manage scarce licensed
spectrum resources by allowing subscribers to connect through a
combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum.
"Carriers worldwide are launching WiFi/mobile convergence service plans
which include a combination of benefits including reduced voice and
data pricing, delivered over WiFi networks at home and in hotspots,"
the Alliance says.
However the Alliance's hopes that converge will generate significant
revenue for its vendor members could be largely unfulfilled. There have
been reports from several research firms, including ABI,
all touting the benefits of and predicting a significant market for
femtocells: very small cellular base stations installed in peoples'
homes and linked into the network via the householder's broadband
connection.
Other than restricting access to the householder these are an integral
part of the public cellulr network and are expected to provide the same
user, and network operator, benefits as WiFi/mobile converged solutions
with a technically more elegant and simpler solution.
ABI Research forecasts that in 2011, more than 325 million converged
WiFi/cellular phones will be shipped. This represents a 183 percent
annual growth rate from the 2006 shipment total of 1.8 million.
The ABI Research study, conducted in March 2007, surveyed 1,223 US
wireless subscribers from a nationally-balanced and demographically
representative sample of adult consumers. Respondents were asked to
indicate whether a variety of listed benefits, typical of converged
WiFi/mobile convergence phone offerings, would compel them to switch
carriers now or in the future. Among the most attractive benefits were:
- reduced prices for mobile data services at home (25 percent would switch);
- better signal coverage in the home (25 percent would switch)
- reduced prices on voice calls made from home (24 percent would switch);
- reduced prices for data services at Wi-Fi hotspots (21 percent would switch);
- reduced prices for voice calls made from public WiFi hotspots
(21 percent would switch).{moscomment}
Hotspot: This trendy term has taken the Internet-addicted
population by storm. If you're not very tech-savvy and aren't familiar
with it, take a look when you stroll by cafes and restaurants or the
next time you go to the airport. You'll probably see signs letting
people know that the location is a WiFi hotspot.
You'll also probably notice several preoccupied people with noses
buried in their laptops. A WiFi hotspot is simply a place where you can
access wireless Internet. In the past few years, WiFi access has seeped
into more and more places and facilities.
WiFi access
has become so prevalent that it's turned many people into
laptop-toting, Internet hunters on the prowl for a signal everywhere
they travel. When they reach a place that fits the typical
characteristics -- sells books or coffee and has tables or comfy chairs
-- they can pretty safely expect to find a WiFi signal. But now that
many buildings, college campuses and other kinds of facilities are
adopting WiFi, the hunt for a signal is getting more interesting.
Unlike
coffee shops that want to attract more customers, other facilities may
not make it very obvious if they have a WiFi signal. In this way, the
search has become more challenging. There's nothing more frustrating
than taking out and booting up your laptop only to find that there's
no signal. You'll have to pack up all your stuff, move on and try
again. Some poor souls desperate for a signal will wander aimlessly
with their laptops open waiting for a sign of wireless life.
After
all this rigmarole, you've wasted time, patience and precious laptop
battery power. Fortunately, however, there's an alternative. Certain
devices have emerged that will help relieve the wandering wireless
syndrome: WiFi detectors. Next, we'll explore the technology behind these useful travel gadgets.
A
wireless signal can travel only so far. Specifically, a typical signal
can extend as far as 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) in an unobstructed, open
area and about 300 feet (91.44 meters) in a closed area that has
obstructions [source: Graves]. Because the signals themselves are invisible and the access points
(routers) that emit them are usually hidden, a WiFi detector can be a
handy tool. WiFi detectors are basically just gadgets that can quickly
and easily tell you whether you're around a WiFi signal.
Before
we can understand the mechanics of WiFi detectors, let's take a quick
look at wireless Internet. Although wireless Internet travels in waves
similar to radio waves, it travels on very different frequencies. It
actually travels on frequencies significantly higher than those of
other common devices, such as cell phones. These frequencies that carry
wireless Internet fall into the ranges of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, depending
on the standard used.
In order to standardize the wireless Internet process, a group called the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has specified 802.11
as the group of networking standards it uses. Such standards specify
how data travels through the waves. Different letter-signifiers further
specify the set of standards. Some common ones are 802.11b and 802.11g,
both of which use the 2.4-GHz band. Within the 2.4-GHz band, you have
specific channels. In the United States, wireless
Internet has 11 available channels on the 2.4-GHz band (other countries
may have fewer or as many as 14).
Why WiFi?
The
name "WiFi" doesn't really stand for anything. Rather, it's a play on
the term "hi-fi," which stands for high fidelity, an audio term for
music recordings that faithfully recreate the sound of original
performances.
The detector's job is
to pick up on the waves with frequencies meant for transmitting
wireless Internet. To accomplish this task, the antenna must be
designed to receive the right kind of signals. Much like the antenna on
your car radio is tuned to pick up on a specific range of frequencies
(and not, say, frequencies that carry police communications), the
antenna on a WiFi detector is tuned to pick up only on the specific
band that carries wireless Internet. If you examine the specifics of
detectors, many will list that they're meant for picking up 802.11b and
802.11g networks.
Antennas alone, however, wouldn't
make very useful travel gadgets. A detector must have some sort of
interface for alerting you when it does pick up on the right signals.
Many will also gauge just how strong the signal is and convey that to
you. In addition, many modern WiFi detectors also come with processers
that allow them to demodulate (or process) the data to give you some
valuable information before you decide to set up camp with your laptop.
Using WiFi Detectors
Image courtesy Targus Some WiFi detectors are small and light enough to use on a keychain.
As
we mentioned, all WiFi detectors have interfaces that somehow inform
you if a wireless signal is present. Apart from this basic function,
however, all detectors are different. Manufacturers have come up with
many methods for conveying the information to the user, and some of
these gadgets are able to provide more information than others.
Many
use LED lights, for instance. These typically light up in a scale
fashion, where a single light indicates a weak signal, and more light
up in sequence as the signal gets stronger. More advanced detectors use
an LCD screen to display some useful information. Not only will it tell
you the degree of signal strength, but perhaps also the SSID (Service Set Identifier),
which is basically the name of the network. This would alert you to
whether the wireless signal it's picking up is coming from your own
home network or the neighbor's.
Detectors might also
list the operating channel on which the network is working. This is
helpful for reducing interference. It turns out that multiple networks
working within the same proximity in the 2.4-GHz band can cause
interference for each other. If you remember from the previous page,
the 2.4-GHz band has 11 available channels in the United States.
Interference can be reduced by spreading WiFi networks farther apart
across the channel numbers. Thus, if your detector informs you that
your neighbor's network is using channel 6, tune your router to channel
1 or 11.
When using WiFi detectors, remember that
they run on batteries (usually AAA), so don't leave them on when you're
not using them. Many include an indicator of battery that lets you know
if it's in need of a replacement soon. Some actually have different
settings that allow you to control the battery consumption or let you
plug into your computer's USB port to charge [source: Dickey].
Sending Fashion Signals
One
of the most interesting applications for this Internet-hunting
technology has to be the WiFi-detecting T-shirt. This shirt has
light-up features that depict the strength of nearby 802.11b and
802.11g networks [source: ThinkGeek].
Another helpful feature is that some detectors can tell you if the signal is encrypted(secured). If it's encrypted, you'll need a password to use it.
Unfortunately, some people who travel around looking for unencrypted
wireless signals might use this feature against you. When you leave
your network unencrypted, freeloaders might snoop into your Internet
activities or perform illegal downloads (such as music sharing).
Authorities looking for the perpetrators could trace these downloads to
your network, and you could get wrapped up in legal frustrations even
if they can't ultimately pin the fault on you. So, it's important to
keep your wireless network secure and encrypted with password
protection.
Overall, when you travel with a laptop, a
WiFi detector can be one of the handiest travel gadgets to bring with
you. You can even get a small keychain version to ensure you never
leave home without it.
United States 2008 wireless spectrum auction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States 700 MHz FCC wireless spectrum auction was started by the FCC on January 24, 2008 for the rights to operate the 700 MHz frequency band in the United States. The details of process were the subject of debate between several telecommunications companies, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and startup Frontline Wireless, as well as the Internet company Google.
Much of the debate swirled around the "open access" requirements set
down by the Second Report and Order released by the FCC determining the
process and rules for the auction. All bidding must be commenced by January 28 by law. The auction was named Auction 73.
Overview
The last transmissions by the incumbent television broadcasters
using this spectrum are expected to cease by June 12th, 2009 except for
LPTV (Low Power TV) stations, which can stay on the air with an analog
signal until the winning bidders start operations. Full power TV
stations are expected to cease analog broadcasting by June 12th, 2009.
Original Usage
The 700 MHz spectrum was previously used for analog television broadcasting, specifically UHF channels 52 through 69. The FCC has ruled that the impending switch to digital television
will make these frequencies no longer necessary for broadcasters, due
to the improved spectral efficiency of digital broadcasts.[2]
Thus, all broadcasters will be required to move to channels 2 through
51 as part of the digital TV transition. This reallocation is an
ongoing effort; the lower channels of the band, 52 through 59, have
been used considerably more for analog and digital broadcasts than the
upper channels, 60 through 69, which have been largely abandoned.
Some of the 700 MHz spectrum was already auctioned in Auctions 44
and 49. Channels 54, 55 and 59 were sold and in some areas are already
being used for broadcasting and Internet access. For example Qualcomm MediaFLO in 2007 started using Channel 55 for broadcasting TV to cell phones in New York City, San Diego and elsewhere.[3]
Google involvement
Prior to the bidding process, Google asked that the spectrum be free
to lease wholesale and the devices operating under the spectrum be
open. Currently many providers such as Verizon and AT&T use
technological measures to block external applications. In return Google
guaranteed a minimum bid of $4.6 billion.[4]
The FCC ruled partially in favor of Google's requests.[5]
Only two of the four requirements were put in place. Google had wanted
the purchaser to allow 'rental' of the blocks to different providers.
Lawsuits
After the open access rules were implemented, Verizon Wireless filed suit against the FCC on September 13, 2007, seeking to have the rules dismissed on the grounds that the open access requirement "violates the U.S. Constitution, violates the Administrative Procedures Act … and is arbitrary, capricious, unsupported by the substantial evidence and otherwise contrary to law."[6] On October 23, Verizon chose to drop the lawsuit after losing its appeal for a speedy resolution on October 3. However, the CTIA stepped in to challenge the same regulations in a lawsuit filed the same day.[7]
Auction
The auction divided UHF spectrum into 5 blocks:
Block A: 12 MHz bandwidth (698–704 and 728–734 MHz)
Block B: 12 MHz bandwidth (704–710 and 734–740 MHz)
Block C: 22 MHz bandwidth (746–757 and 776–787 MHz)
Block D: 10 MHz bandwidth (758–763 and 788–793 MHz)
Block E: 6 MHz bandwidth (722–728 MHz)
The FCC placed very detailed rules about the process of this auction
of the 698–806 MHz part of the wireless spectrum. Bids were anonymous
and designed to promote competition. The aggregate reserve price for
all Block C licenses was approximately $4.6 billion.[8] The aggregate reserve price for all 5 blocks being auctioned in Auction 73 was just over $10 billion.[8] Block D of the spectrum, which did not meet its reserve bidding price among some controversy,[9] will be used for a national public safety network.[10]
Auction 73 ended with the highly publicized open access C-Block going for $4.74 billion to Verizon.[11] The entire auction raised $19.592 billion.[12]
Wireless standard operating at 5.4Ghz, and at speeds up to 54Mbps. Provides 6 non overlapping channels
802.11b
Wireless standard operating at 2.4Ghz (along with DECT phones and
microwave ovens!). Provides up to 11Mbps bandwidth and 3 non
overlapping channels
802.11g
Wireless standard operating at 2.4Ghz. Provides up to 54Mbps bandwidth and 3 non overlapping channels
Antenna Gain
Antenna don't increase the transmission power, but focus the signal more. So instead of transmitting
in every direction (including the sky and ground) antenna focus the signal usually either more horizontally or
in one particular direction. This gain is measured in decibels
.
Receive Sensitivity
The minimum signal strength required to pick up a signal. Higher
bandwidth connections have less receive sensitivity than lower
bandwidth connections.
SNR
Signal to Noise Ratio. The number of decibels difference between the signal strength and background noise.
Transmit Power
The power usually expressed in mW or db that the wireless device transmits at.
Bush Administration Opposes Kevin Martin's Free Internet Plan:
Says plan to allocate part of spectrum for free broadband internet not in line with administration policy.
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/11/2008 5:06:00 AM MT
The Bush Administration opposes FCC Chairman Kevin
Martin's proposal to put free Internet access conditions on the auction
of spectrum for advanced wireless communications services.
Martin has proposed encouraging the use of 25% of the
spectrum won be used for a lifeline free broadband service with content
filtering so that kids' access could be controlled.
According to a letter to Martin from Commerce
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, the administration fears that would
discourage bidders.
Martin has argued the plan would help further the
administration's goals of universal, affordable broadband, but
Gutierrez says that "Spectrum allocation decisions that promote a level
regulatory playing field and the flexible use of spectrum are the best
means to further the success achieved to date in expanding wireless
broadband choices for consumers."
Gutierrez says that the free broadband plan could
favor one particular business model and "would likely lead to congested
and inefficiently used broadband, and it would be inconsistent with the
Administration's view that spectrum should be allocated by markets
rather than governments."
"The history of FCC spectrum auctions has shown that
the potential for problems increases in instances where licensing is
overly prescriptive or designed around unproven business models," he
told Martin.
That appeared to be a reference to the FCC's
inability to draw a bidder in a previous auction for spectrum that the
FCC put various conditions on in an effort to create a public-private
partnership creating an interoperable communications network.
"The Administration believes that the AWS-3 spectrum should be auctioned without price or product mandates," said Gutierrez.
Martin has scheduled a Dec. 18 vote on the spectrum plan.
'We are reviewing the letter and it appears to be
very similar to what the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration had put forward recently," said FCC spokesman Robert
Kenny. "We agree that free market forces should drive competition, but
we also believe that providing consumers with free basic broadband is a
good thing."
"Auctions are not just about raising money, they are
about setting policies that support increased benefits for consumers
and ensure the most efficient use of the spectrum."
Use the Internet, Lose your Privacy...
Bruce Schneier, author and computer security expert, wrote a good reality-check essay on the subject of online privacy, or the lack thereof.
In it, he points out how using Webmail or an online document service like Google Docs
not only allows for more easily snagging your information, but also
severely waters down legal privacy protections. For example, he points
out that "the courts have ruled that the police can search your data
without a warrant, as long as others hold that data. If the police want
to read the e-mail on your computer, they need a warrant; but they
don't need one to read it from the backup tapes at your ISP."
Sobering stuff, and I agree wholeheartedly with Sneier's assertion that
it's far past time for our legal system to develop a technology-aware
approach towards privacy that doesn't use different standards for our
personal information when it's on a home computer, as opposed to when it's on a Google server. It's all our data, and it's all getting more and more spread out.
I'm a huge fan of cloud-type services like Google Docs and Webmail in
general, since they allow for anywhere-access and protect against data
loss. But when you combine these privacy concerns with the recent spike in data breaches, and note the absence of any real penalty for companies that collect and then lose our data, it becomes clear that we have some catching up to do.
6 easy steps to secure your Wi-Fi network.With the
proliferation of wireless routers, it is very common to find unsecured
wireless networks broadcasting all over the neighborhoods, as if
saying, “hack me”. If you don’t secure your network or even take
precautions to make sure that you don’t broadcast your network all
over, you are just inviting anybody to use your internet, visit any
computer in your network, download any file, even the picture of your
grandma in a bikini could end up on the World Wide Web! Securing your
wireless network is really not a hard task but it is absolutely
necessary. In this article we will discuss ways of securing your
network, not only with encryption but also with other features that
will make it even harder for others to find and connect to your Wi-Fi
network. We will be using a Linksys router for the snapshots, but the
principle is the same in any router. Ok, so let's start...
1
In order to hack in your network, the hacker needs to be within range.
If at all possible, keep the router in the center of your house, as far
away from any neighbor and/or street as possible. If you live in an
apartment, keep your router in a closet to try and attenuate the radio
signal.
2
At this point, you will need to connect to your router web based set-up
page. To do this consult your manual to see what ip address and default
passord you will need to type. For a linksys router, simply open a web
browser and type HTTP://192.168.1.1
in your address bar. When it asks for a username and password, leave
the username blank and the default password is "admin". You should now
have the set-up page for your router. Under the administration tab,
change the router’s Username and Password to ensure that only
authorized users can access and change any settings in your router via
the web based page. If you don't do that and a hacker connects to your
network, he can change all the settings so that you cannot even connect
to your own router!
3
Change the SSID to something not too easy to figure out. The default
name (Linksys for example) is the first thing anybody would try if they
were trying to find your network. Don’t use your name, birth date,
pet’s name etc… I recommend using a combination of letters (upper and
lower case) and numbers. Treat the SSID like a password.
4 Disable
SSID broadcast. You do not need to broadcast to the world that you have
a Wi-Fi router, do you? By disabling the SSID broadcast, you will make
sure that your network doesn’t appear in the list of available networks
connection in your neighborhood, thus making it harder to find you. The
only minor disadvantage is that you will need to remember your SSID and
type it in any computer you want to connect. Refer to section 6 to find
out how to do that.
Don't forget to SAVE SETTINGS!
5 Enable MAC filter and permit only the PCs listed to access the wireless network.
You will then
need to list the MAC addresses of all your computers with wireless
connections. (you can find this by going to the control panel of each
computer, then click “Network connections”->
click “Wireless Connection Network”. -> select “Support” tab, click
“details”, your MAC address will be the “Physical Address”).
Don't forget to scroll down and SAVE SETTINGS or all your typing will be lost!
6
Finally enable the Wireless Security Mode. There are different
solutions available, depending on your wireless router and your
computer’s wireless network interface capabilities.
WEP
(Wireless Encryption Protocol) is an older and much less secure
encryption protocol. Choose it only if your hardware is not compatible
with other protocols, it will keep most honest people away from your
network, but doesn’t require a lot of skills to hack either. Choose the
highest encryption level compatible with your hardware (128bits in most
cases).
WPA
and WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) are much safer protocols due to the
fact that the keys change dynamically making it extremely hard to hack.
In a SOHO environment (Small Office / Home Office), use WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi
Protected Access with Pre-Shared Key) as it is simple to set up and
doesn’t require a RADIUS server (Remote Authentication Dial-in User
Service). Next you have to choose the encryption type. Choose TKIP
(Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) as it is the most compatible
encryption type. AES (Advanced Encryption Type) provides greater
security but its interoperability hasn’t been certified. Also note that
Microsoft released a patch for windows XP to fix a bug with WPA. Any
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) is already patched, so you should
not have to worry about this.
So lets see how to do all this:
First
go to your router menu in the Wireless security section , select WPA
Shared key, TKIP algorithm, type your shared key and carefully write it
down on a piece of paper (the WPA shared key needs to be between 8
and 63 characters long, use numbers as well as lower and upper case
letters to make it harder to hack).
Don't forget to SAVE SETTINGS!
At
this point you can close the web based set-up page of your router
and go on any computer that you want to connect via WiFi, right click
on your wireless icon in the task bar and select "View Available Wireless Networks" you will get to this screen:
As
you can see, my neighbors didn't take the time to set up their linksys
router, you can also see that our "Your SSID here" router is not
present in the list, that's because we are not broadcasting its SSID.
To connect to it we are going to have to click on "Change the order of
preferred networks". You will then get to this window:
It might be empty or it might be full of other routers, regardless, click on the Add... button, you will get to this window:
Here
you pretty much have to match what you did in the router. Enter the
SSID exactly as you entered it in the router (it is case sensitive),
the Network Authentication, Data encryption type and carefully type the
network key that you wrote on a piece of paper. When you are done,
click OK. You will then be back to the "Wireless Network Connection
properties" it will look something like this :
Make sure that
your SSID is now the highest one, if it's not, click "Move up" untill
your SSID is at the very top. Remove any other networks that you don't
use and click OK.
Congratulations!
you should now be connected to your router, your Wireless Network
Connection window would look something like this, specifying that it is
now a security enabled wireless network.
Remember
that like anything else it is impossible to completely protect against
hackers. Like thieves, if they really want to get in your network, they
will, have no doubt about it. The only thing we can do is to make their
job so much harder that they’ll move on to a less secure router. Patrick S. Fisse
Wireless is an evolving technology which is not inherently secure. Information on a wireless network is
most likely not encrypted, so it is possible for another user on the network to use a 'network sniffer' to
capture your data while in transit.
Unless you take certain precautions, anyone with a wireless-ready computer can use your network.
That means your neighbors, or even hackers lurking nearby, could “piggyback” on your network,
or even access the information on your computer. And if an unauthorized person uses your network
to commit a crime or send spam, the activity can be traced back to your account.
You want to avoid man in the middle attacks.
Make it your policy to use a secure login feature SSL
(secure sockets layer) for email, e.g. (Yahoo), to protect your password and run personal firewall software on your laptop to protect against illicit attempts to access data on your machine.
Consider encrypting your files, and preferably entire hard drive volumes, using PGPdisk. Switch to a Mac or some non-Windows operating system
while you're at it. NSA has developed and distributed configuration
guidance for Apple Operating Systems. This guidance can be used as a security baseline.
Also, password-protect your computer, including a boot password.
How to securely use public WiFi?
Install
a VPN program and run it every time you go online using a public WiFi
hotspot. It runs in the background after you sign in, and gives you a
private, encrypted tunnel for your data and communications when on a
public wireless connection. Anchor Free HotSpot Shield
is free, but ad-supported. It runs on both PCs and Macs. While
browsing, you'll see ads appear occasionally at the top of the browser
window. It's great if you infrequently need it, but annoying if you
regularly find yourself in coffee shop.
Whether you use Windows, a Mac, or Linux, OpenVPN is a simple, robust way to secure your Wi-Fi sessions.
iPig
requires no configuration of any kind. You just start your favorite web
browser, email client or chat software and switch the iPig encryption
on: iPig grabs all Internet traffic before it leaves your PC and
encrypts it securely. The software runs on Windows 2000, XP and 2003.
Remember thst No VPN software protects data that does not go through the VPN.
How to set up a remote private network?
Hotspot Shield is a VPN for the Internet. Hamachi is a VPN for your own
private network. Hamachi is meant to tie a remote end-user into another
LAN or another PC to make it part of their own “LAN” (or private IP
addressing). Internet traffic is not shielded with Hamachi.
LogMeIn Hamachi is currently available for Windows. Console versions of Hamachi are also available for Linux and OS X.
Hamachix
for the Mac automatically handles the tun/tap drivers, kernel
extension, and throws a nice Mac-like GUI on top of the whole thing and
here's the full walkthrough manual with screenshots.
For remote access for home & personal use try the free LogMeIn Simply Connected. LogMeIn Free gives you fast, easy remote access to your PC
from any computer with an Internet connection.
FBI Best Practices for Home Users to Prevent Hackers from Getting into Your Network
Network segregation
Put your access point on a separate subnet, with a firewall separating the wireless and internal users
Change the default settings on your access point
Default settings (SSID, administrator password, channel) are well known and even included as part of some
WLAN attack tools
Use WPA with a strong key
WPA is a definite improvement over WEP in providing wireless security. But the version intended for home and
SOHO use—WPA-PSK—has a weakness shared by any passphrase security mechanism.
The choice of simple, common and short passphrases may allow your WPA-protected
WLAN to be quickly compromised via dictionary attack (more info here).
Use a totally random, long, secure passphrase.
Update your firmware
This is helpful if your AP or client doesn't currently support WPA. Many manufacturers
have newer firmware for 802.11g products that add WPA support.
You may also find this for 802.11b gear, but it's not as common. Check anyway!
Turn off the WLAN when not in use
A $5 lamp timer from your local hardware store is a simple, but effective way to keep your
WLAN or LAN from harm while you're sleeping.
Use an SPI firewall. Make sure that your current OS will operate properly with your SPI firewall.
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) can be defeated.
Consider using WPA-PSK (pre-shared key mode, also known as personal
mode) for a home LAN. WPA-PSK is vulnerable to dictionary attacks, if a
hash of the pre-shared key can be gleaned by listening in on the 4 way
handshake used to initiate the connection, so use a long key. It's
convenient to use a 40-60 character sentence that you can easily
remember. Choose a sentence (or a line from a song, a quote from a
favorite book, or something similar) that is significant to you and use
that. You can try a key generator
but the key generator approach makes sharing the key harder and might
not add much more security to a brute force attack. TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is a security protocol used in Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
Glossary
Encryption: The scrambling of data into a secret code that can be read only by software set to
decode the information.
Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID): The name a manufacturer assigns to a router. It may be
a standard, default name assigned by the manufacturer to all hardware of that model. Users can
improve security by changing to a unique name. Similar to a Service Set Identifier (SSID).
Firewall: Hardware or software designed to keep hackers from using your computer to send
personal information without your permission. Firewalls watch for outside attempts to access
your system and block communications to and from sources you don’t permit.
Media Access Control (MAC) Address: A unique number that the manufacturer assigns to each
computer or other device in a network.
Router: A device that connects two or more networks. A router finds the best path for forwarding
information across the networks.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP): A security protocol that encrypts data sent to and from wireless
devices within a network. Not as strong as WPA encryption.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): A security protocol developed to fix flaws in WEP. Encrypts data
sent to and from wireless devices within a network.
Wireless Network: A method of connecting a computer to other computers or to the Internet
without linking them by cables.
Security Software
wicrawl A simple wi-fi (802.11x) Access Point auditor
BackTrack Remote-exploit CD project merging Whax and Auditor
PickupLine Bypass authentication on authenticated wireless networks
Auditor Security software toolset based on KNOPPIX
A survey conducted by ABI Research for the WiFi Alliance claims
to have shown that one in four US wireless subscribers would switch
cellular carriers for access to the benefits of WiFi/mobile
convergence.
and select "View Available Wireless Networks" you will get to this screen: 
