Can anyone help me please? I have recently signed up for Telstra Wireless Broadband using a Sierra 7.2 Mobile Card, and have just discovered that there is no security with this type of broadband (apparently). I use Norton 360 but I am worried that my neighbours are using my internet and I don't know how to secure it? I am pretty technologically illiterate, so please use small words :) I have read about WEP and WPA and SSID and so on but have no idea how to enable/disable or even find. Please help me!! And no laughing!

Clearing Up

The security you need depends on what type of wireless broadband device you have. From your description it sounds like you have something like the Telstra 7.2 USB Modem, but you could also have the Telstra 7.2 ExpressCard or Telstra 7.2 Wireless Gateway. If you have the ExpressCard or USB Modem, there really isn't a need to worry about your neighbours.

The only way that people around you could steal your wireless broadband access is if you have something like the Wireless Gateway, which has a wireless broadband service built-in, but broadcasts that service over standard Wi-Fi signals. Since most consumer devices (laptops, mobile phones etc.) have Wi-Fi integrated these days, they can access your network if it doesn't have WEP or WPA security on it.

However, if you have the ExpressCard or USB Modem, you are simply accessing Telstra's NextG service in the same way you would access any mobile network using your mobile phone. This signal goes directly from a mobile tower to your modem, which talks directly to the computer through a USB port or ExpressCard slot. Because this isn't then transmitted through a local wireless standard like Wi-Fi, people around you can't steal your wireless broadband service - the only way this happens is if they have your SIM card, which can be attached to a mobile phone or wireless broadband modem.

The security standards you mentioned - WEP, WPA, SSID - are all specific to Wi-Fi, so as I have said you probably have no need to worry about them.

Let us know if you have any other troubles in this regard!

Thank you

Thanks for allaying my fears...I guess now I have to work out where all my download allocation is going! At least I know it isn't the neighbours, bless their little cotton socks.

Set up, Manage, and Protect your wireless home network

Hi! Network Magic Software is perfect for what you need. Follow this link for a free trial.

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I don't know what your download limit is with that plan, but Windows Automatic Updates can use up quite a lot (working in the background). Norton is probably downloading antivirus definitions, etc. as well. And Internet Explorer doesn't block all those annoying Flash ads and pop-ups that can all add up over a short time.