lol Monkey, i know i asked, and i appreciate your reply ;O)
i have previously sold Kirbys, Zenith Windows, locally based windows etc. I am used to not being welcome :O). This is why i admit my opinion may be wrong, and why im asking for others imput.
Obvioulsy on the door, i wouldn't say my piece in 3 lines like i did above, and maybe it wouldn't come accross as being quite as rude.
A more passive sell is probably required though.
Any more opinions on this?
One way or the other, i will leave everyone with an informative leaflet of which the draft follows. I think they will believe the problem, and i know they will believe me once i speek to them. It's actually informative enough for most of them to do it themselves........
Protecting Your Wireless Network
According to a recent study by a wireless-gateway provider, 21 percent of home Wi-Fi users can access their neighbours' wireless networks. As many as 4 percent have "accidentally" logged on, sometimes peeking at files and surfing the Internet through a neighbor's broadband connection.
Following are some basic ways to help protect your network:
1. Do not allow your SSID to be broadcast. By hiding the SSID you are hiding the most visable sign of the network being there in the first place. This is not 100% fail safe, sniffers can detect wireless networks, but this will stop the general tom, dick and harry who happen to come within range of your network. The factory default for this setting is nearly always to show the SSID.
2. Change the passwords to your router. Most manfacturers use a default password accross all equipment within a range. Keeping these 'pre-known' passwords is an obvious weak point for your network.
3. Encrypt your connection. All routers (if not, all that i've seen) offer a choice of encyptions. The most basic encytopin type is WEP. When using WEP the machines on your network need 'keys' to communicate with each other. A machine without this key would not be able to join the network. This again is not fail safe, some flaws have been
indentified in WEP protection, but it adds considerably to the effort required to access your network. Most routers also offer more advanced encryption like EAP. The default settings for WEP are generally set to OFF.
4. If you share files between machines, then you should be using password protection.
As said, all of the above is pretty basic. Their are hackers out their that can work around each of these security methods, but the point is that it would take days, or perhaps weeks to do so. The largest risk is from those passing your property, living next door or accross the street - and these are not the hackers of this world!
You will find that the manual you got with your wireless equipment will contain instructions on how to set up each of the items above. Often just knowing what to look for is a good enough start to do this yourself.
Alternatively, we offer a low cost service to secure an existing network. We can show you how your network is visable to others, and secure it - and we'll take just 30 minutes of your time.....
