Wireless networks have become a necessity and an essential part of any computing environment. They provide portability and versatility to your network usage. But when it comes to security, there is no way to guarantee that you will be completely secure on a wireless network. However you can take certain precautions while connecting to a wireless network and using it, thus helping you to stay safe even in an wireless network environment. In this article we will tell you 4 important tips to stay secure on an wireless network.

1. Read the privacy statement of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) carefully before you connect to their wireless network such as a public network in a coffee shop or airport. Make sure, you know what type of information the ISP collects from your computer. They will generally ask you to install some temporary client software on to your system.

2. In the list of available wireless networks manager of Windows Vista or Windows 7 (or any other operating system), you’ll see a message indicating if a wireless network has security enabled or not. Connect to a network that has security enabled as the information sent over these networks is encrypted and can help you protect your computer from unauthorized access.

3. Make sure that you don't work on any sensitive information or visit password-protected areas of your business network while you are connected to a public network whose security seems doubtful to you.

4. Since the network you connect to belongs to someone else, using the right tools the owner can see everything that you do, including the websites you visit, the documents you work on, and the user names and passwords you use. So it is safe if you first look around how many people are actually connecting to such a public network.

[Via Windows Help]