What should I NOT do wirelessly -- download/upload speeds

I've been running my desktop with a cable broadband and a cable modem. My plan is to hook up a router and run the notebook wirelessly in the house. I'm new to notebooks and wireless. I've just assumed I can do anything wirelessly I could do on broadband...is that true? Should I avoid thinkgs like bank downloads or bill paying? And will my download speeds be the same with the wireless as they are with the direct broadband?

 

As long as you have a strong encryption enabled, you shouldn't have to worry too much. Most (serious) banks use SSL anyway, so the connection between your computer and the bank will be encrypted. I recommend putting encryption on your WLAN as well though, since you are responsible for whatever someone else does on your network.
As for download speeds, they should not really be considerably lower. Speeds stay about the same, since the cable/DSL is gonna be the bottleneck usually anyway, latency will go up, but you won't really notice that unless you play on-line games.
Hope that helps.

 

I recommend putting encryption on your WLAN as well though, since you are responsible for whatever someone else does on your network.
As for download speeds, they should not really be considerably lower. Speeds stay about the same, since the cable/DSL is gonna be the bottleneck usually anyway, latency will go up, but you won't really notice that unless you play on-line games.
Hope that helps.[/QUOTE]


I'm very new to this. Is encryption intuitive once I start settin g up the router, or is it covered in one of the threads on networking? In truth, I'd like to find the neighbor with the open wireless and warn him/her that it's open and suggest securing it. (We have a very congenial neighborhood.)

It's very frustrating that UPS messed up my deliveries--I have the computer but no router!

 

Check my guide (in my sig) and that will basically tell you everything you need to know about everything. WPA is reccomended, but if your devices cant have WPA then WEP 128 bit. It will be an option during setup, or you can change the settings by typing your dsl ip address into an address bar. But first, check my guide.

 

Clare,

One HUGE item you should be aware of when enabling encryption on your network. When enabling encryption, make sure you're connected to the router via an actual cable to your computer. The reason I say this is because once you enable encryption, you will loose connection to the router if you're not hardwired into the router.

When you make the change on your router the signal is now encrypted, but the notebook will not understand the encryption and your connection will drop (until you enter the correct encryption key on your notebook).

Personally, I'd I like to keep away from using wireless if it has anything to do with my online banking or online purchases (wherever I use my credit card). I just connect a cable from my router to my notebook and turn off my wireless. When my banking is done, I pull the cable and turn my wireless back on.

Also, encryption is 100% necessary of you're going to have a wireless network for anything, in my opinion. Connections from your router to the bank or otehr sites may be encrypted, but your signal from your notebook to your router may not be (if you don't enable encryption). The signal from your notebook to your router contains all the information you're entering into the sites. If not encrypted, anyone can intercept and decode the info without any problems.

-Vb-

 

There's no need to worry about using a wireless connection to do your banking so long as the connection to the bank is secure. The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection is between your browser and the bank's server. The router is just a pass-through device. So, a secure connection to your bank is still secure even over an unprotected wireless network. If your bank does not offer a secure connection, then run, don't walk, to another bank because they don't understand security at all. (I highly doubt if there's a bank in the U.S. that doesn't use SSL.)

BUT, you still should enable WPA (or WEP if WPA is not available) since other data is not secure (e.g., some e-mail passwords) and you're vulnerable to unauthorized usage of your network. Definitely check out nickspohn's wireless guide.

 

You can if you want but I would like to be better safe then sorry. Its too easy to pass up not being 100% than just taking 5 seconds to plug the computer in so its wired. lol, my mom just all around doesnt do anything online.

Thank you