@Mark
> It's enough to use WEP IMO because
IMNSHO, your IMO is not very good. In fact, your argument is shit.
> a) it means that nobody will access it thinking that it is an open hotspot
That is the defense of the guilty. Even my parents know the difference between "someone's" open network and the open network of a WiFi hot-spot. At the very least, here are plenty of markings and "welcomes" at places with free WiFi.
> b) WPA isn't 100% supported on older Windows OSs
Avoiding the obvious DO NOT USE OLD BLOODY WINDOWS argument and the flames that ensure, I will simply point out that the LinkSys wireless manager did support WPA on Windows 98SE very well. Though I believe a lot of vendors are dropping Win9x and ME support, and rightly so.
> c) WPA is still kind of fiddly for noobs
Hogwash and shenanigans. WEP is fiddly: you cannot use the same pass phrases between vendors because of the differences in the key generation algorithms, so you have to use the 26 digit hex string. WPA is simple: you punch in the pass phrase, irrespective of vendor, and go.
> and if your stuff isn't valuable, who's going to make the attempt to crack it open?
Value is like beauty. Just because she is a fat chick, that does not mean you do not have the chance to get snogged. In some cases, people do not give two shits about you, they may just want your bandwidth or resources. And invariably someone forgets some part of security: sure, they set a WEP key, but they may still have the default admin password set, allowing a quick DNS entry to a nefarious server. Or perhaps using unencrypted POP3 and SMTP over a WEP connection.
> 'course to some people, just the attempt to use "your" wireless is tantamount to > breaking into your home and violating the family dog, so there's no need for any > protection anyway, is there..?
Brilliant phuqn logic, mate. Since you want to make this invalid connection, why not just leave all of your doors unlocked from now on. I mean, really, nothing you have inside is of value, so why not just let anyone parade on through? Heck, just offer up your dog while you're at it.
Personally, I do not care if you want to spread your WiFi love around the neighborhood, but you simply cannot justify it with the "I don't got nothing to hide" or "there ain't nothing valuable here" arguments. Come up with something else, because those arguments just do not float.
Paris, because she does not want hippies humping her dog either, and now understands just a teensy bit about security.