Don't Broadcast Your Personal Information

You can’t miss all the hype from companies like Cincinnati Bell and others bragging that that they have installed hundreds of WiFi “hot spots” throughout the area. A “hot spot” is a location from which you can access the Internet wirelessly with your laptop computer or other WiFi-enabled device like a Palm Pilot®, cell phone or even a wireless gaming device. In the Harrison area you can find public WiFi spots at the Speedway gas station and The Public Library. These are Cincinnati Bell sponsored locations. There are many others. Time Warner Road Runner in cooperation with "Project Lilypad" is installing free WiFi at CVG making it one of the few airports in the nation with free WiFi service.

While there is great convenience to being able to sit in a coffee shop, or even under a tree in a park, and conduct personal or work-related business using your computer, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, many of us do much or all of our banking on line. This requires the use of passwords, user names, Social Security numbers and other very personal information. Now I am sure that if you were in a crowded restaurant you would not shout out, for all to hear, your Social Security number or ATM password. Well, if you are logged on line at a public WiFi location that is potentially what you are doing.

Remember that WiFi systems "broadcast" the information though the air and any computer close by, with the right software, can intercept that information. Because these public WiFi locations are used by many people they can’t be secured with encryption systems like we use in many of our offices and businesses. For sure the guy with dark glasses and a trench coat in the next booth at Market Street Grill is most likely not spying on you. But, he could be.

So the rule of thumb is to keep your private communication via computer private. Do it at home or only on systems that you know are private. Speaking of home, many of us have WiFi systems in our homes. If you live out in the country most likely you don’t need to worry about your neighbor signing on to your system. In the city, where houses are closer together, or in condo units separated by only thin walls, your WiFi can easily be used by the guy next store. If you don’t care if he is “freeloading” on your Internet connection and can eavesdrop on your communication, you need do nothing. If you might have a problem with that, you can encrypt your system. This will allow only you and those you authorize to use the connection. You will find instructions on how to do that in the manual that came with the WiFi router. It should be in that junk drawer someplace.

To be sure the wireless revolution is tremendously convenient. Cell phones, Blackberries® and cordless home phones are great tools. Just remember that anything you send or say on these devices is broadcast for all to read and/or hear.

Well, I promised to keep you up to speed on the availability of the DTV set top converter boxes. At this writing (Feb. 9) I have yet to see one in a store but I do have one. I got one from my contacts in Washington and am told that within a month or so they will be in most major electronics retailers. So it is a safe bet that you can send for your coupons from Uncle Sam. You can do it on line or by phone. The web address is www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon ; the phone number is 888-388-2009.

I have the Zenith/LG model and it is a very nice unit with lots of easy to use functions. I plan to review the various brands and models as they become available in local stores. Look for the reviews in future columns.

Don't Broadcast Your Personal Information

You can’t miss all the hype from companies like Cincinnati Bell and others bragging that that they have installed hundreds of WiFi “hot spots” throughout the area. A “hot spot” is a location from which you can access the Internet wirelessly with your laptop computer or other WiFi-enabled device like a Palm Pilot®, cell phone or even a wireless gaming device. In the Harrison area you can find public WiFi spots at the Speedway gas station and The Public Library. These are Cincinnati Bell sponsored locations. There are many others. Time Warner Road Runner in cooperation with "Project Lilypad" is installing free WiFi at CVG making it one of the few airports in the nation with free WiFi service.

While there is great convenience to being able to sit in a coffee shop, or even under a tree in a park, and conduct personal or work-related business using your computer, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, many of us do much or all of our banking on line. This requires the use of passwords, user names, Social Security numbers and other very personal information. Now I am sure that if you were in a crowded restaurant you would not shout out, for all to hear, your Social Security number or ATM password. Well, if you are logged on line at a public WiFi location that is potentially what you are doing.

Remember that WiFi systems "broadcast" the information though the air and any computer close by, with the right software, can intercept that information. Because these public WiFi locations are used by many people they can’t be secured with encryption systems like we use in many of our offices and businesses. For sure the guy with dark glasses and a trench coat in the next booth at Market Street Grill is most likely not spying on you. But, he could be.

So the rule of thumb is to keep your private communication via computer private. Do it at home or only on systems that you know are private. Speaking of home, many of us have WiFi systems in our homes. If you live out in the country most likely you don’t need to worry about your neighbor signing on to your system. In the city, where houses are closer together, or in condo units separated by only thin walls, your WiFi can easily be used by the guy next store. If you don’t care if he is “freeloading” on your Internet connection and can eavesdrop on your communication, you need do nothing. If you might have a problem with that, you can encrypt your system. This will allow only you and those you authorize to use the connection. You will find instructions on how to do that in the manual that came with the WiFi router. It should be in that junk drawer someplace.

To be sure the wireless revolution is tremendously convenient. Cell phones, Blackberries® and cordless home phones are great tools. Just remember that anything you send or say on these devices is broadcast for all to read and/or hear.

Well, I promised to keep you up to speed on the availability of the DTV set top converter boxes. At this writing (Feb. 9) I have yet to see one in a store but I do have one. I got one from my contacts in Washington and am told that within a month or so they will be in most major electronics retailers. So it is a safe bet that you can send for your coupons from Uncle Sam. You can do it on line or by phone. The web address is www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon ; the phone number is 888-388-2009.

I have the Zenith/LG model and it is a very nice unit with lots of easy to use functions. I plan to review the various brands and models as they become available in local stores. Look for the reviews in future columns.

The Sky Is Falling…DTV is coming, DTV is Coming…

Last February I wrote about the upcoming end to analog TV broadcasting in the United States. At 12:01 AM, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, analog TV broadcasting will be no more as the United States joins many other countries of the world in adopting an all digital broadcasting system.
As discussed in the previous column, many of us will not be affected even if we still are then using our existing analog TVs. The reason is that according to Nielsen Research, only about 20% of the households in the Cincinnati market require broadcast over-the air signals to watch TV; the other 80% use either cable, satellite or a combination of both. Since the cable and satellite set top boxes already convert digital signals so they can be viewed on analog TV sets, the fact that stations like CET will no longer be broadcasting in analog is irrelevant.
For those who want to stick to receiving signals over the air, Congress has developed a voucher program that will award two $40 vouchers to each household requesting them. The vouchers can be used to offset the cost of purchasing small digital converters that will receive digital over-the-air signals and convert them to analog signals that even your trusty old RCA with aluminum foil on the rabbit ears can handle. They are still working out the details for distributing these vouchers. I’ll be sure to let you know when an announcement is made.
Congress also has mandated that retailers make sure that anyone buying a new TV, no matter the size, has information about what kind of tuner is installed. If it has only an analog tuner, the set must have a label stating that it will no longer be able to receive over-the-air signals after February 17, 2009.
Recently I took a field trip to see how various retailers were handling this disclosure requirement. I browsed through some major “big box” stores. I was surprised by what I found, or I should say, what I didn’t find. Today, analog TV sets are as scarce as VHS machines. For example, a stroll through “Best Buy” found no analog TVs at all. Even the small inexpensive counter top sets had ATSC tuners built in. That means that they have digital tuners capable of receiving the digital broadcasts. They are not High Definition sets nor do they have wide screens, but they can receive all the broadcasted digital signals. The good news is that the price seems about the same as the analog-only sets of last year.
Seems like the “sky is falling” predictions that warned of millions of TV viewers would be looking at blank screens when they wake up on February 17, 2009 may be a bit over blown. I’ll keep you updated.

The Sky Is Falling…DTV is coming, DTV is Coming…

Last February I wrote about the upcoming end to analog TV broadcasting in the United States. At 12:01 AM, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, analog TV broadcasting will be no more as the United States joins many other countries of the world in adopting an all digital broadcasting system.
As discussed in the previous column, many of us will not be affected even if we still are then using our existing analog TVs. The reason is that according to Nielsen Research, only about 20% of the households in the Cincinnati market require broadcast over-the air signals to watch TV; the other 80% use either cable, satellite or a combination of both. Since the cable and satellite set top boxes already convert digital signals so they can be viewed on analog TV sets, the fact that stations like CET will no longer be broadcasting in analog is irrelevant.
For those who want to stick to receiving signals over the air, Congress has developed a voucher program that will award two $40 vouchers to each household requesting them. The vouchers can be used to offset the cost of purchasing small digital converters that will receive digital over-the-air signals and convert them to analog signals that even your trusty old RCA with aluminum foil on the rabbit ears can handle. They are still working out the details for distributing these vouchers. I’ll be sure to let you know when an announcement is made.
Congress also has mandated that retailers make sure that anyone buying a new TV, no matter the size, has information about what kind of tuner is installed. If it has only an analog tuner, the set must have a label stating that it will no longer be able to receive over-the-air signals after February 17, 2009.
Recently I took a field trip to see how various retailers were handling this disclosure requirement. I browsed through some major “big box” stores. I was surprised by what I found, or I should say, what I didn’t find. Today, analog TV sets are as scarce as VHS machines. For example, a stroll through “Best Buy” found no analog TVs at all. Even the small inexpensive counter top sets had ATSC tuners built in. That means that they have digital tuners capable of receiving the digital broadcasts. They are not High Definition sets nor do they have wide screens, but they can receive all the broadcasted digital signals. The good news is that the price seems about the same as the analog-only sets of last year.
Seems like the “sky is falling” predictions that warned of millions of TV viewers would be looking at blank screens when they wake up on February 17, 2009 may be a bit over blown. I’ll keep you updated.