Wireless connect in Public places

it was probably a subscription network. you'll notice the same thing when you go to airports. when I was in Austin texas two weeks ago, there were three networks that I was able to connect to.. too bad that you had to buy a license to each one. most likely, at a convention center it will be free. if it is in public, though, it probably has a fee.

I have a wireless router and occasionally it will say I have an excellent connect and get that same message. I reboot the pc or reset the cable modem (that part you can't control) and it fixes the problem. Sometime I also disconnect and reconnect in my taskbar icon in the view wireless connections. I recently used my laptop in the Orlando airport and the Pittsburgh airport and had no problems.

Wireless, as mysterious as it sounds, is best thought of as an invisible network cable. Yes, you can connect a cable to a network jack and have power and "connectivity", just as your wireless receiver can pick up and connect with a signal, but you may not be authorized for an IP address or have authorization for your traffic to flow. There are a number of ways to prevent access; authentication/access-servers, firewalls, etc... Some networks throw you an access error (usually the one's that require login info or payment to use), others just block you without any errors shown, as you probably just witnessed.

For your convention, there will be wireless network access techies usually available to set you up. Most are pay-per-convention, some are absorbed in convention fee's. There's usually HowTo's provided by convention centers on how to setup your machine to receive & transmit.

Don't count on free wireless from any hotel that charges over $150 a night; my experience has shown that the more expensive a hotel is, the less likely they give wireless for free.

Another thing I have seen is you get no internet connection until you try to go to a common site manually. I have trouble at many hotels until I go to google, at that point their system brings up a front page that makes me agree not to hold the hotel liable for any damages I may experience while on the internet. It is at this point that if it is a pay system that it tells you so.

Most conferences have a pay for use wireless system, many of those who attend them on a regular basis opt for Verizon Wireless Broadband for the security side and cost over time... you will get hacked at a confernce when on WIFI, no ifs and ors or buts about that.

I wouldn't be too worried. Just make sure you've got all your Windows security updates, that your not sharing out any drives, and that you don't have any services available to the public like Remote Desktop, Remote Registry, etc... running and you should be fine. Zone Alarm doesn't hurt either. Check out SANS top-twenty windows exploits (www.sans.org) and you should be good to go. There will be plenty other neglected machines easier to break into if there are attackers on the prowl. As a rule anyway it's always prudent to encrypt stuff on your PC that is really sensitive (Credit Card numbers, personal info, etc...), but i wouldn't sweat at night over it. Keep that machine in sight.

All I'm saying is that conferences with WIFI attract hackers in a big way, I personally don't run with that crowd anymore (due to my age and legal reasons), but I would never use free WIFI with a computer that has something I wouldn't want a thief to have.

MS is always a step behind the hackers as far as security updates.

If you do decided to encrypt your data, I would suggest the ones that allow you to encypt in to a photo and keep that within a directory of many photos. That way even if snagged, it may be missed as something of value. Only use family type photos, those that won't peak anyones interest. Also keep the files about the same size, a photo that is 900KB will stand out in a sea of other photos that are 90KB. If you choice a non-photo encrypting program get one that lets you decide the name and name it as a dll file and place it in the windows directory... again, trying to make it blend in as if it belongs there.

If you are there all day and are on the WIFI connection all that time expect the worse and pepare for it.

The point of free wireless? Well, many times the point is a hacker giving free wireless to just to take a look at other peoples machines. Other times its a business who is not going to invest the money to make it secured, but to provide a "service" that the average customer won't question. Hotels, now that they have been getting sued, usually have a disclaimer that the network is unsecured and you use it at your own risk even if you opt to use their firewall.

Personally, with so many people using a limited resource at an event like a convention, WIFI can be very slow... another reason to bring your own via wireless broadband.

You got Zone Alarm to prevent someone from stumbling in to your computer through overt means, no firewall can offer 100% protection.

Also, be sure to get a great virus program and scan for any trojans.

Once everyone gets the simple idea that wireless is equal to one giant public open network with zero security, and security is done at an app or session level, then none of this is a big deal.

The entire Internet is one big shared network anyway. You always use https when transmitting your credit card numbers, right? Or you use ssh and not telnet, right? Same idea.

Yes (BTW: Glad to see you post again), but a conference, hotel, coffe shop, etc where there are mass amounts of people using WIFI is very tempting; a conference more so than the others due to the possibility of so many computer users in a confined space; there are websites that will list where confernces will be just for the purpose of hacking. A very good friend of mine (not me, because admitting this could get a person in trouble) would participate in hacking contests at conferences.

Also, not many people would plug there computer in to a network jack that was laying in the street, but most people would have no issues using a WIFI of unknown source.

Any updates of your bluetooth issue Geroge? I was thinking of you the other day when looking at the current configuration prices for the Sagers.

Hehe you know I used to be one of the volunteers helping to run those old 2600 conferences in the Hotel Pennsylvania back in the day? oy...

You jumped the gun! I was going to pester Sager/PCTorque on the 1 month anniversary, look for it then (4 days?)...taking them an awful long time to simply purchase a license...nothing yet tho hmph...thanks for letting me know you are interested in the outcome, makes the pestering worthwhile! ....watch for it...

I'm interested too. I've been waiting (impatiently?) for the license agreement.

cool! We used to do stuff in Miami and Atlanta... I mean my friend. It has really changed today, some of the people I would talk to were less about improving their skills and showing who could do what to now just seeing who can get what and profit the most from it or who can do the most damage.

Keep us posted on the BT issue.