When shopping for a wireless router, the first detail that you’ll most likely look for is its signal strength. Indeed, you wouldn’t want any dead spot ruining your 50-gigabyte download. The good news is many of today’s routers can easily blanket your house with Wi-Fi. They’re already so powerful and efficient that your next door neighbor could effortlessly pick up signals from your overzealous Wi-Fi distributor.

Unless your neighbors are as trustworthy as your dog, sharing wireless Internet with them may not be exactly a wise move. For one thing, having too many computers sipping through your router may slowdown your surfing speed. Some ISPs are also setting limits on monthly bandwidths, so you might end up hitting your quota in just a week if you continue to be a good Samaritan to them.

But the strongest argument against sharing Wi-Fi with neighbors is the possibility of data theft. The fact that they could access your router or wireless Internet means that they could also very possibly access your computer, too.

This doesn’t mean that you should buy routers that have weak signals. If you want to rival Starbuck’s Wi-Fi strength, then by all means buy the best router that your budget allows. Just make sure that you limit the number of persons who could have access to your personal network. You could easily do this by setting up a password for your router. Another method by which you could restrict or regulate access is by pre-defining the hardware which could access your network.

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Do you think this is funny?

While this cartoon may stretch a generous smile on your face, a growing number of corporate slaves are starting to classify this strip as something that has been taken from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The advent of mobile computing has definitely contributed wonders to ordinary PC users. Unfortunately, corporations are getting the better deal out of “anywhere computing.” Wi-Fi and laptops have definitely extended the four corners of the office. With the mobile phone as an accomplice, the said developments in IT have put employees on a virtual leash.

The only benefit that mobile computing has given to workers is that they can now go home early. Of course, they have to bring their tasks with them. And with portable PCs becoming mainstream, bringing the office at home is as easy as having your coffee to go. Now every home is a virtual branch of a company.

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Unless you’re living in Tibet, it’s very obvious that the society we’re living in is highly commercialized. Just look around and you’ll see that almost every square inch of space in your town is littered with advertisements. Don’t be surprised if one day your mailbox might already be sponsored by Marlboro or McDonald’s.

Surprisingly though, there are more freebies today than there were several decades ago. However, costless products or services always have a catch. The drawbacks are sometimes negligible, but they should be a cause for concern just the same.

Dangerously Free

I’m sure you’re all aware by now of the efforts by businesses and governments in providing free wireless Internet access to citizens, patrons, or any person who might sojourn in their area. This costly (and costless) advertisement is a hit among those who treat their laptop as their office. Many coffee shops that banner “free wi-fi” signs on their doors are always full to the brim. It would thus seem that it’s a win-win situation for both the shop owner and the customer. But is it?

The cost of maintaining or providing free wireless Internet access is not cheap. Business establishments spend a lot in subscribing for the service, as well as for the maintenance of the transmitters in their area. Naturally, they would do whatever it takes to bring the operating costs down. Guess what’s the first one on their list that they’ll cross out in order to keep subscription and maintenance expenses down?

Not Secured

When network analysts first exposed the vulnerable condition of wireless networks as far as security is concerned, many weren’t that surprised anymore. It’s already common knowledge that adding and maintaining security features on networks cost money. Hence, it could be fairly expected that free Wi-Fi access is not bulletproof. If stringent measures would be provided to keep the network safe from hackers, then offering the access for free may not be feasible anymore.

It’s Not Only About the Money

Don’t think that Starbucks is that hesitant in shelling out a few hundred or thousands of bucks just so that you’ll be able to check your e-mail without ending up exposing it to someone who shouldn’t be looking at or reading it in the first place. I’m sure business establishments have the means or extra resources in order to enhance the security of their wireless Internet access system. However, doing so might actually turn off customers than entice them to have a cup while enjoying the free service.

Setting up a secured network would mean putting up too many checkpoints for the user. Barbed-wired Internet access systems require users to submit to numerous verification procedures. By the time they’re through with the process, they’re coffee might already need some reheating.

Free Wi-Fi access is great. However, as with all things that are free, there are certainly some hitches. A security lapse is certainly not a negligible trade off. However, this shouldn’t deter you from enjoying the free offer. Just make sure that you have a fairly good security suite and system tools installed in your PC, such as a registry cleaner. Avoid processing sensitive data while connected on an unsecured network, too. By undertaking these precautionary measures, there’s no reason why you should not be able to enjoy your cup of coffee while opening your e-mail or browsing through the latest NBA or NFL scores on the Internet.

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A decade ago, accessing the Internet was a task that not everybody could do. Not all PCs were equipped with a modem jack, and even if they were, there weren’t many Internet Service Providers at that time which could make that PC slot useful.

Things have definitely changed since then. Before the century turned, the demand for Internet connectivity went up astronomically. ISPs sprouted like mushrooms on a rainy day, even on areas where providing the service was deemed unprofitable or a missionary’s undertaking.

Going Mobile

One of the things or developments in the IT industry which revolutionized Internet connectivity was the emergence of mobile PCs, such as notebooks, PDAs, or palm tops. Office tasks and business transactions are gradually being taken out of the offices or the conference rooms. Many have realized that time is too precious to be spent inside the workplace.

PC manufacturers immediately took note of this need and trend. Whole design teams were given tasks to come up with notebooks or portable PCs which could rival or even outmatch desktops. After just a few years working on the drawing board, many computer companies have succeeded in threatening the very existence of bulky PCs which adored many desks since the computer became personal.

The notebook’s portability is not the main feature which makes it very popular among students and office slaves today, though. While desktops could bring the user into cyberspace through any of the mode available at present, still it cannot give the user that degree of mobility or freedom that only laptops or PDAs could give.

Wi-Fi

Before the advent of wireless Internet, the only means of connecting to the Internet was either through dial up, cable, or DSL. All these require that the PC be leashed to that yellow cable or phone wire that transports the user to cyberspace. This is one of the reasons why notebooks were not yet very popular 4-5 years ago. Laptops were not exactly portable during those years as far as connecting to the Internet is concerned.

High-speed Internet access made another revolutionary turn when wireless access increasingly became available. Many were enticed by the thought that they could be at their workplace even if they’re blocks away sipping a delicious brew at their favorite coffee shop. Many local governments realized the benefits that municipal-wide wireless Internet access could do to their economy. Hence, cities started to install Wi-Fi transmitters all over their area or jurisdiction.

Potent Advertisement

Local governments and business establishments saw the limitless potential of wireless Internet as far as enticing people or customers is concerned. Hence, efforts were made to make Wi-Fi free. Many cities and establishments around the United States, and even in the other parts of the globe, are already offering free wireless Internet access for their citizens or patrons. The race towards blanketing whole towns or cities with Wi-Fi signals peaked during the last two years when bills calling for the installation of wireless Internet access transmitters swamped various legislative bodies, including the national congress.

To be continued…

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Have you ever wondered what happened to dial-up technology?

I was browsing through several Internet connection articles on PC World’s Web site when I thought of searching for some news or developments on dial-up access. To my surprise, the search led me to what probably is the archive section of the Web site.

The latest news on the list doesn’t even concern the United States. The report dealt with the pace that countries outside the US are embracing broadband Internet. It cited the declining costs of high speed Internet access and the willingness of the people to make the shift.

By now, the comparisons or analyses illustrated in the article may already be moot and academic. Everybody’s ditching their slow dial-up access for either a DSL or broadband cable connection. The advent of Wi-Fi has also convinced people to disconnect themselves from slow Internet access. Broadband is the new standard, and the demise of dial-up is obviously inevitable.

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