When connecting to the internet via a public wireless hotspot you should consider carefully the security of the connection.
Free wireless hotspots in pubs and cafes often don’t have basic security.
This is convenient as it is easy to set up a connection and, best of all, its free.
However, you should be aware that the data that you send over the wireless connection is available to anyone with a relatively simple wireless monitoring device and some form of recording system.
Someone in the corner of the pub, or parked outside, could not only snoop on your emails, but could also easily record your email account details when you login.
They can then use your email account later to get username and password details from websites that send these to your email account if you forget them.
Even if the wireless hotspot has some sort of security through the provison of a code then anyone who has that code is connected to the network and can monitor your wireless traffic.
If you connect to a public wireless network with a laptop that is also used in a home or office network make sure that your shared folders are not available to the person at the other end of the bar by at least changing the default name of your network from WORKGROUP to something else.
Ideally you should also have some sort of firewall protection that allows only trusted computers to connect to your network.
Some public wireless hotspots have a greater degree of security than others with encryption on each wireless channel that theoretically stops eavesdropping on your wireless connection.
However, even if you use a connection that is advertised as encrypted or secure you should be aware that wireless connections are inherently insecure and that even the most secure encryption systems can be cracked.