For our special Sydney only show with Rod
Quinn we had a look at the many types wireless networks, how to
secure them and the pros and cons of using them. Listener's calls included
choosing a network and putting computers to sleep.
The Different types of Wireless
There's many different
types of wireless networks which we've looked at previously. The
key difference between them is the range.
If you want just to connect computers around your house or office,
then a WLAN
is the best choice. Otherwise, one of the mobile phone operators may
be the best deal.
We should note that wireless networking is by no means a perfect technology.
It's subject to interference and other factors that means it doesn't
always work everywhere.
Wireless hotspots
Rod was particularly interested in the wireless hotspots where you
can sit in a cafe and work. Sadly these aren't popular in Australia
due to
the costs facing providers.
The idea for this topic came from the NSW Government's idea to set
up free networks in major centres around the state. This
failed due to the costs and risks.
Few of these municipal wireless schemes around the world have actually
got off the ground and those that have are usually the less ambitious.
This doesn't mean you can't use wireless hotspots. There's still many
around and some places offer free access to attract customers. Unfortunately
they aren't common enough to be relied on.
If you do have a cafe or bar offering wireless Internet near you, use
them and encourage them.
Wardrivers and honeypots
Of course, nothing in computers comes without a downside. With wireless
networks there are many security issues.
If you own a wireless network then it needs to be secured from outsiders.
We have a long list of
things you can do to protect it but the most important is to enable
WPA.
Another trap to watch for is honeypots. These are where the bad guys
set up their own free wireless networks with the intention of stealing
your passwords and other details.
The Wall
of Sheep at a 2007 security conference illustrated this where a
group of engineers posted the partially obscured passwords of laptop
users checking their emails through the conference wireless network.
Should you be on the road and you find a free network, be a little
suspicious before logging onto it.
Seniors Computer Conference
The tenth
Senior's Computer Conference is on in Sydney on the 27th and 28th
of August. This is a great opportunity to meet with other seniors doing
terrific stuff with computers. Registrations are still open.
Listener's questions
Being broadcast to Sydney only, we didn't get our full switchboard of
calls. But we did get some interesting ones.
Types of laptop plugs
Bahrat asked about the best connection for a wireless Internet modem.
There are three; ExpressCard, the older PC Card and USB.
USB is the easiest as you can be sure it will fit all modern machines.
ExpressCard is the best as it has the fastest and most reliable connection.
It will depend on what socket is available. We'd suggest Bahrat takes
his laptop to the local computer shop to make sure he gets the right
part.
NAT Connection error
Eric had a problem playing a multiuser game with a "nat connection
error" appearing on the game.
NAT, or Network Address Translation, allows
Internet traffic to be get through a router to the computer it is intended
for.
The simplest solution for this is to turn the Universal
Plug and Play (UPnP) on in the router settings. Another option is
to enable port forwarding however to do the the latter, it requires
knowing the technical features of the specific game.
Windows Defender
Deborah called about an application causing Windows Defender to stop when
she starts her computer. Windows Defender is an anti spyware program used
supplied by Microsoft however we find it's not particularly effective.
Our recommendation would be to uninstall
Windows Defender through the Add/Remove Programs function and rely
on a more efficient and reliable anti virus program.
Putting computers to sleep
Kate asked about putting computers to sleep. She's concerned at the waste
of power at leaving them on.
There are four ways to deal with shutting down computers;
Turn them off. This is the best way to save power.
Hibernate. This saves everything you are working on into
a big fat file on the hard drive and then turns off the computer.
When the computer restarts it goes to how it was when you turned it
off.
Stand by. Shuts down all the computer except for keeping
some power running to the memory. This is a very quick way of restarting
the computer.
Turn off the monitor. This saves a little power but not
a great deal.
Winspyware protect removal
Stan is getting a message that he is infected with a virus and should
run Winspyware protect to fix it.
This is a scam and is really just a virus itself but it can be difficult to remove. The best tool for removing it is a free download called Malware Bytes. The linked website has a paid version and a free download.
We'd recommend running this tool followed by cleaning
up your computer.
Upcoming spots
The next Nightlife spot is scheduled for 10pm on August 29 where we'll
be looking at the future office. We hope you can join us then.
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