could be sitting in a car somewhere even a half a block or more away.

So, what? You might think. You may even be wiling to share your Internet access with others. However did you know that a thief could easily steal your identity and your personal information by connecting to your unsecured Wi Fi access point, or by connecting to your information using a free wireless access point? This could end up being a total disaster for you.

Even if a hacker is not targeting you personally he may be using your free access Wi Fi connection to perform his dastardly deeds and to send out mass email mailings, spam, and phishing e-mails. He may be accessing your email account through a free public access point and from there sending out spam phishing emails.

This is the reason you should protect that Wi-Fi connection and avoid using unprotected Wifi Internet access points. This does not mean you have to avoid totally using public Wi-Fi hot spots, but there are public access points that are password protected. When you as a customer ask for the password, you will be given temporary access to the Wi-Fi connection.

When protecting your own WiFi connection you should use WPA or WPA2 technology, which offer secure protection to Wi Fi access. Often the instructions on how to protect your wireless access point come with the wireless modem or router you bought. You just have to follow manufacturer’s instructions when performing the installation.