Posts Tagged ‘Personal Computer’

Securing Your Home Network

February 20th, 2010



You have probably read about how people are able to gain access to an individual’s computer and essentially steal all their personal data. There are many ways that this can be done without the owner even knowing that someone is trawling around within their computer right under their nose. There a few simple steps that you can do to safeguard your personal information from internet predators.

Your home network is your first step to securing your personal data from the outside. You should have a secure perimeter network that stops any potential intruders from accessing your data. It is by far better to stop intruders at the perimeter rather than at your computer. Make sure that you have a hardware firewall enabled at the point where your home equipment connects to your internet connection. Hardware firewalls are more difficult to hack and do a good job of keeping unwanted eyes from seeing your personal computer.

A hardware firewall for homes normally comes in the form of a router. Some people have a modem connected to their internet connection but these do not come with a hardware firewall and are not secure. Make sure that you are using a router with a hardware firewall between your computer and the internet connection. If you are not sure which one has been supplied by your service provider, have a look at the original documentation or phone your service provider and ask them.

Most routers provided by internet service providers are wireless. This means that if you have a laptop, you can connect to the internet using a wireless network card from your laptop to the router, and finally out onto the internet. Even if you don’t have a laptop and use a desktop computer, the router from your service provider will still have the wireless functionality enabled. This wireless connection broadcasts a name called an SSID. This can be picked up by any wireless device normally within a 50m radius of your home. You need to make sure that the wireless broadcast is switched off if you do not use it. If you have a laptop and use it to connect to the internet wirelessly, make sure that it uses an encryption key to secure all communications. The older type of encryption is WEP and is now less secure; you should be using WPA which is more secure. Read the documentation that came with the router on how to configure encryption on your router.

By: Mike JJ Johnson

Computer Jobs at Home Are More Popular Than Ever!

January 7th, 2010



Every since the personal computer burst onto the scene, people have naturally been searching for computer jobs at home. It just makes sense. If you spend a lot of time on the internet, why not use that time to make a living, or at least add some extra income to the family budget?

You might think of the housewife, up to her arm pits with “ankle biters” (kids), trying to find a way to make some extra money while trapped in the house all day. But that’s not the case so much any more. A lot of people have left the 9-5 rat race in favor of simply working from home. So maybe the main household income is now generated right from their computer.

The concept is simple, but not exactly EASY! There are some special skills and knowledge required before quitting your job to work in your pajamas everyday in front of your computer. The most important thing is to chose an area or field where you actually have some experience. Don’t just jump on the first opportunity you come across, it may be a terrible fit for you.

But let’s say you have some experience with stamp collecting, or tree trimming, or cake decorating or just whatever. With your internet connection, it’s easier than ever before to get that expertise out to the masses. And there are tons of people out there willing to pay for that information. Do you start to see the “marketplace”?

But not all computer jobs at home are exactly alike. I mean some people may really enjoy writing, and there are lots and lots of people out there who don’t and are willing to pay for those skills, instant job. While other people enjoy watching live online auctions to get a good deal, then they turn around and sell the item for a profit, instant job. The most important thing is to stick with something you like. If you can’t stand building websites, how long do you think you could last building websites for a living?

If you really like the idea of working from home, in front of your computer, you have lots of choices. Basically, you will want to take something where you have experience and expertise, find a market who is looking for that, and make it available. Let’s say you like to make videos from photographs, think about who might really like that service. People celebrating weddings, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, would love to pay you for that service.

Some of the more popular computer jobs at home are: affiliate marketing, writing, eBay and other online auctions, all sorts of technical skills (like coding, programming, video, etc.), even taking online surveys can pay well. Just find something you really enjoy and go with it!

By: Anna Kowalski