Expert: Doug Woodall - 9/10/2008

Question
  I will be visiting Century village Boca Raton FL. for only a short time so impractable to sign up for DSL. & Dial-Up is too slow.
  They are just now installing Wireless in the club house lobby.
  It's convenient but I'm worried about security if on-line banking or shopping etc.
  I have a 5 month old Compaq Presario notebook computer.
  Intel chip, Vista Home premium and Avast anti virus.
  Should I be worried, and if so what can I do about it?
Thanks,
Harvey  

Answer
Hi Harvey,
When you search for the network to connect to there, your computer will tell you if the network is secure. You may even need a logon password to sign on, it depends how secure it is.
You can ask the management there about their security also.
What Firewall are you using?
Are your MS updates and Compaq updates current?
You should always be worried when using a unknown network.
I commend you for asking, most users just use what they can connect to and it never crosses their minds they might be giving their personal information away.

Microsoft has some tips here,
http://www.microsoft.com/AtWork/stayconnected/hotspots.mspx

Hope this helps.