U.S. consumers love Wi-Fi access but don’t always have safe habits when they visit hot spots, according to a new survey by industry group Wi-Fi Alliance.
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The survey polled 1,054 Americans over the age of 18 through online interviews. The results showed that 32 percent of respondents had tried to use a Wi-Fi network that wasn’t their own during the past 12 months, up from 18 percent in December 2008. When asked whether sharing a Wi-Fi network password or a house key required more trust, 40 percent of survey participants chose the former.
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We always think security is really important, and we’ve been prioritizing it for a long time, said Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director for the Wi-Fi Alliance. We do feel like we’re at a point where … people are using a lot of Wi-Fi and doing more with Wi-Fi. The average household might have a couple of notebooks, a tablet, a smart phone, gaming devices or advanced digital home (devices) like set-top boxes all connecting via a Wi-Fi network.
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According to the Wi-Fi alliance, about 201 million households use Wi-Fi networks, and there are about 750,000 Wi-Fi hot spots worldwide. Davis-Felner said consumers should remember to set strong passwords for their wireless networks by changing the easy-to-hack default password that’s issued by manufacturers of wireless routers.
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Web surfers should also take safeguards when they use public hot spots, most of which haven’t turned on security protections. Activities like online banking should be saved for a more secure connection.
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I don’t want to overstate this, Davis-Felner said. If you’re sitting in a coffee shop or an airport on a (Wi-Fi) network, you are highly more likely to have your purse stolen from under your seat while you’re checking Facebook than having your password stolen. … (But) what I do tell people is: If (I’m) in…