Q: When my apartment building added free Wi-Fi, I bought my first wireless device, a Kindle Fire tablet computer (my PC has a wired internet connection.) But I wonder what security software I should use on the tablet, and how concerned I should be that the building Wi-Fi network is very public — I don't even need a password to sign in. Should I be wary of using the Wi-Fi network for shopping and e-mail?
Shirley Olson, Hopkins
A: Your apartment building's unprotected Wi-Fi network is vulnerable to snooping. And you do need security software for your tablet, because malware can attack the Android operating system that it uses (read about last year's "HummingBad" infection at tinyurl.com/zvvq9r5).
But there is some protection available. The Amazon Appstore offers several free security programs for your tablet (see tinyurl.com/kvms62z). I suggest you pick just one of them.
In addition, many of the websites that you might use for e-mail or shopping are encrypted. That means everything that passes between your tablet and the encrypted website would appear to be gibberish to anyone who illicitly read the messages traveling over your building's Wi-Fi network. Among the websites using encryption are Facebook, Amazon, Google, all banks and your MSN e-mail.
What should you do if a website isn't encrypted? Don't share personal information with it.
How will you know if a website isn't encrypted? The mobile device versions of the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers will warn you. They put a padlock icon beside the address of an encrypted website, and no padlock beside the address of an unencrypted site. (The PC version of Chrome does the same thing. The PC version of Firefox puts a padlock icon next to the address of an encrypted site; an unencrypted site either gets no padlock icon or a picture of a padlock with a line through it.)
Another option would be to create your own home Wi-Fi network by purchasing a wireless router for your PC's internet connection. The router would have its own encryption to protect you from spying, but you should set up a network password, too. There are several beginner books on home Wi-Fi networks, including "Wireless Home Networking For Dummies, 4th Edition."
Q: I installed a new Netgear WNR1000 wireless router on our home Wi-Fi network, but it interferes with some of our printing. Previously, we had a Linksys router that allowed us to print wirelessly to a Brother printer from either my PC laptop or my wife's iPad. Now the PC can print, but the iPad can't even locate the printer. What's wrong?
Bill Steward, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A: When you installed the new router, you changed the settings on your home Wi-Fi network. That made it impossible for the iPad to verify that your printer is compatible with Apple's AirPrint technology. To reset your network so that the iPad and printer can connect, download the "Netgear Genie" app to your laptop (see tinyurl.com/lpto3xp). Then go to Netgear's online manual (see tinyurl.com/kttrxf7), scroll down to "Set up an AirPrint compatible printer using the desktop Genie app" and follow the directions.
E-mail tech questions to steve.j.alexander@gmail.com. Include name, city and telephone number.
