I'm no internet security expert. I must bow to my betters in this area of knowledge. So I ask my betters and their colleagues, "is there any good reason to password-protect my home wireless network?" Answers vary, depending, perhaps, on the relative paranoia of the IT professional I'm asking. Finally, internet security and cryptography expert Bruce Schneier answers this question and scads of others in the NYTimes...Q: Is there any benefit to password protecting your home Wifi network? I have IT friends that say the only real benefit is that multiple users can slow down the connection, but they state that there is no security reason. Is this correct?
A: I run an open wireless network at home. There’s no password, and there’s no encryption. Honestly, I think it’s just polite. Why should I care if someone on the block steals wireless access from me? When my wireless router broke last month, I used a neighbor’s access until I replaced it.