WEP issues

[techforay]

I was reading a note in Virtual Dr. from one of the administrators that said the WEP is no longer secure. I have an Actiontec gateway R1524su that provides me with a wireless signal. I use WEP and I am not sure how to use anything else. Can someone give me some advice?

[Tuttle]

Unfortunately, that device only supports WEP. To use WPA, you'd need to replace the router.

If you can't do that, IMO the next best thing is to treat your wireless network as hostile (just like the rest of the Internet). That means having a personal firewall on each PC, not trusting the rest of your local network for things like file sharing etc., and being aware that it's really easy for someone nearby to snoop on anything you send over that network unencrypted (like email). It's not an impossible situation to work around, but it's not pleasant.

Also keep in mind that it's really easy for someone nearby to use your Internet connection, and if they go doing illegal stuff then the cops will be banging on your door and seizing your computers as evidence, not theirs. If you live somewhere with Internet quotas, having the neighbours use your connection is a good way to make your connection get slow or expensive fairly quickly too.