Computers of all kinds typically come with hardware built-in that allows them wireless connectivity to the internet and/or network access in which a host of resources are available.
On the other side of the coin, there are wireless access points that are administered to allow computers the internet or network access. There are some points to keep in mind whether using or administering a wireless network to ensure a safe experience. The scheme of it can seem like an enigma so the points below are simplified as much as possible.
On the user side of the coin, when approaching a wireless network, there are two basic choices when it comes to security; it can be used, or not be used. Some wireless networks require a password to access and some do not.
The ones that do encrypt data flowing over the wireless network, which means that in the event somebody using the same wireless network intercepts the data, it will be unreadable (which is good).
When the data leaves the wireless network and moves across the internet, it may or may not be readable by other people depending on the website being accessed. Websites that use HTTPS in their website address encrypt the data from the user’s computer all the way to its destination, and vise versa.
If the ‘S‘ portion of the protocol is missing, data will not be protected once it leaves the wireless network and moves across the internet.
The administrative side of the coin, that is, setting up a wireless network to be secure is relatively simple. The administrator can choose to require a password, or not. A wireless access point to which computers wirelessly connect can be purchased at several different kinds of stores and contain instructions for setting them up.
If there is concern about the security of using or administering a wireless network, please contact us.
