Hardwiring the modum to the Computer?

Nope, My feelers are Okey-Dokey and thanks for worrying about them. Now go close up all those 'open' connections in your Wifi manager before the boogey-man steals all your stuff. It helps to wear a tinfoil hat while you do it!

Aww. Did your feelers get bent? If you have a technical/factual response, bring it. Ad hominem is an admission that you don't have a legitimate argument.

Oh, paddwanpeep, I've forgotten more about this than you'll ever know. I've been doing data networking for 35 years, the past 20 working for several major manufacturers of enterprise networking equipment.

And after all that time you still dont know it! Probably did Home depot and target LOL

Funny how a simple question from the OP get turned into this. So OP Yes you can go either way, wifi or hardwired

Close, but not quite. Having past connections to open WLANs stored opens you to unintentionally connecting to a honeypot run by a bad actor. And open WLANs are VERY common, although most require you go through a captive web portal to agree to terms or sign on before you get full access.

If I wanted to snoop on traffic, I'd just set up an AP with the SSID "Starbucks" or "Panera Bread" (or those and a host of others, all at once). It's very common for people to be set up to connect to such SSIDs automatically. Beyond that, many clients actively probe, looking for specific SSIDs. That can be sniffed, and a suitable SSID created just to suck them in.

Oh, paddwanpeep, I've forgotten more about this than you'll ever know. I've been doing data networking for 35 years, the past 20 working for several major manufacturers of enterprise networking equipment.

And, there are bad people out there, actively trying to get your information. More than you hear about, because when the charge card company calls and says there are these unexpected charges from Tierra del Fuego, people don't associate it with the free WiFi they accessed a month before.

paddywanpeep wrote:

While I do agree hard-wired eliminates the potential of a WIFI vulnerability, I would like to understand how an unsecured WIFI network showing up in my Manage Wireless Connections list would pose a security issue.

It doesn't, and he really doesn't understand what he is talking about.

Actually, this is the first plan of attack when someone is hell bent on gaining access to any network.

The list mentioned by mike is a compiled list of networks that you may have had access to. . . it doesn't matter whether you were successful in gaining entry or not. It stays there and kept in memory until you decide to remove it on your network settings.

This is another way of keeping the mantra “user friendly”. Just another added convenience , that in the end compromises security.

If I were a hacker (believe me I'm not), this is the first thing I would try to snoop first. If some guy in the neighborhood is careless enough not to lock his – network I can use his modem without his knowledge. . . that could save me a hundred bucks or more on web access monthly bill.

I know a friend who is a science teacher who's been using his next-door neighbor's modem for years and both of them didn't even know until the other guy moved out. They were really good friends so, things like these didn't cross their minds. I bet they even laughed when they discovered it.

The separation between houses in the track (a typical California housing track) was about five feet wall to wall. You can literally hear people talking in each other's dining room.

BTW: Some in the network list may have a TTL (time to live) which means they will not show on your machine the moment you are out of range. That will explain you won't find any when you are in a campground.

While I do agree hard-wired eliminates the potential of a WIFI vulnerability, I would like to understand how an unsecured WIFI network showing up in my Manage Wireless Connections list would pose a security issue.

It doesn't, and he really doesn't understand what he is talking about.

joebedford wrote:
I look for open networks when I'm overnighting in a Walmart or wherever but they're always businesses who want people to access their networks - could draw in customers.

I can't remember the last time I saw an open network in a campground (and I look, just because)

Very true, open Wifi's are getting scarce. There used to be several in my neighborhood but not no more. And haven't seen any at a campground in a coon's age.

mike-s wrote:
... Do you have any open networks listed in your "Manage Wireless Connections" list ...... That's a security issue.

While I do agree hard-wired eliminates the potential of a WIFI vulnerability, I would like to understand how an unsecured WIFI network showing up in my Manage Wireless Connections list would pose a security issue.

Dave

I look for open networks when I'm overnighting in a Walmart or wherever but they're always businesses who want people to access their networks - could draw in customers.

I can't remember the last time I saw an open network in a campground (and I look, just because)

rhagfo wrote:
Well with the correct security settings wireless is as good as wired.

That is simply not true. Even if it were, few users are knowledgeable enough and able to properly configure a WLAN and/or insure all of the clients are also properly secured. Do you have any open networks listed in your "Manage Wireless Connections" list (I'm assuming a Windows PC, but other clients have similar lists)? That's a security issue.