A shared broadband internet connection is a valuable resource, and sharing from a Mac to an Android device is difficult, but not impossible. OS X comes with a stock internet sharing feature, designed to quickly and easily turn your Mac into a hotspot for other devices to feed off of.

This tool comes in handy more often than you’d probably expect. Many hotels still offer wired-only internet access which makes traveling a pain, if you’re not alone. After all, who wants to take turns using the internet? Sharing a single cord for internet access is frustrating at best, and at worst, it can mean losing money by losing productivity. Sure, you can use your Android’s cellular signal, but data speeds vary and using it will cut into your allowance if you’re not lucky enough to have unlimited data. Because of this, the OS X internet sharing feature is a useful one to have.

There’s just one problem, though. Macs and Android devices don’t like to play nicely together, at least not when it comes to internet sharing. If you have an iPhone, then the process is straightforward, but with Android device activation rates outpacing the iPhone at a blistering rate, that means most people reading this won’t have such an easy time setting it up. Fortunately, the steps for correcting the issue and making OS X and Android play nice with one another are fairly simple.

Properly configuring internet sharing on OS X starts on the Mac side of things. Power on your iMac or MacBook, and navigate to System Preferences. From here, you’ll want to select the Sharing preference pane. At this point, you’ll be faced with a few options. You’ll want to go to the Services list and select Internet Sharing. One important part to note here is that you’ll want to turn the service off if it has a check box.

At this point, you’ll be prompted to choose a connection type to share. The only thing to note here is that you can’t select AirPort. You’ll need to choose a different kind of connection. For most users reading this and dealing with the wired-internet situation, choosing Ethernet will be appropriate. At this point, you’ll also want to select the check box next to AirPort. You can find this check box in the To Computers Using list.

Now that everything is set up on the Mac side of things as far as what kind of connection sharing you’ll be doing, you’ll need to set up the encryption for the sharing so that your devices can access the internet securely. Select AirPort Options and select enable Encryption using WEP. There are two types of encryption you can choose, and these will change the length of the WEP key accordingly. You can choose 40-bit or 128-bit.

Once you’ve chosen your encryption, you’ll actually enter in a WEP key to use when connecting your devices. 128-bit encryption will require a password consisting of thirteen characters. These can be numbers or letters, but no special characters or punctuation marks are allowed. Similarly, with 40-bit encryption, you’ll choose a five character WEP key with the same restrictions as the 128-bit key. Once you’ve created a WEP key, click the OK button and then check off the box next to Internet Sharing under Services.

Configuration for internet sharing on your Mac is now complete. Make sure that they key you’ve chosen is memorable, and you’re ready to move on to your Android device. You’ll find your Mac the same as you would any wireless network. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, there are two ways. The first is to click your phone’s Menu button from the home screen, and then select Settings. Alternatively, you can load the app drawer and open the Settings app.

Once you’re in Settings, you’ll select the option labeled Wireless & Networks. This should be the first option on the list, although it may vary based on your device manufacturer or the version of Android your phone is running. Once you’ve tapped into the Wireless & Network menu, click on Wi-Fi Settings. Enable Wi-fi by clicking the check box next to it. At the bottom of this screen, you’ll see a list of available Wi-Fi networks. If you’ve done everything correctly up to this point, your Mac should be listed by name. Select the Mac by tapping on it, and it should ask you to enter the WEP key that you created earlier on your Mac. Enter the key, exactly, and your Android device should connect.

Now that you’re connected, you’re done with setting up internet sharing. Any time that you want to share your Mac’s connection with your Android device, just head back to the Sharing menu on your Mac and enable it to share your broadband internet connection. You’ll connect from your Android device, and as long as you haven’t changed the WEP, your phone will be able to automatically connect. Enjoy!

=== About the Author ===

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Broadband Expert where you can find broadband internet in your area and compare prices on different deals for your mobile broadband needs.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team recently released a paper about the different wireless security problems that they see often in public wireless areas. These problems include wireless sniffing and shoulder surfing, which isn’t something you normally think about. These six tips will help you secure your wireless web surfing.

1. Only use public networks for non-sensitive operations. It’s easy to assume your firewall or encryption can save you from sniffers, but it’s best not to even risk it.
2. Use a VPN if possible. If you work for a company that gives you a virtual private network, why would you not use it to secure your wireless surfing?
3. Protect yourself from shoulder surfing. Some Internet crime actually takes place when people with binoculars across the street look at your computer screen through a window to see what you’re up to. Don’t forget to protect your actual computer screen by sitting with your back to a wall whenever possible.
4. Find a good encryption program. Pretty Good Privacy is a good option, or just use whatever email encryption program you like best.
5. Avoid evil twin hot spots by contacting an employee at the hot spot location to see what the actual network is called there. Then you’ll know you’re always connecting to a legitimate network.
6. Use HTTPS and SSL connections when possible. The extra security and encryption can make a big difference if you absolutely have to do sensitive things like banking at a public hot spot.

These six steps may not make your online wireless experience in a public hot spot totally secure, but it can help you keep your information more protected. The best thing you can do is just be careful when using public hot spots. They can be great for looking up directions to the nearest pizza place, but check your bank account balance to make sure you can afford the pizza before you leave home!

==== About the Author ====

Daniela from Creditdonkey.com contributed this post.   Check out her latest post on the best business credit cards for small business at her blog.

Enlisting the help of an ethical hacker’, Life Assistance company, CPP is working to raise awareness of the threat from Wi-jacking’. Many of us use wifi networks to access the internet everyday, but are we doing all we can to make sure our personal information is safe when browsing or transacting online? CPP’s experiment covered six cities in the UK to gauge just how many insecure networks are out there.

Shown as a series of videos the Wi-jacking story begins with Jason Hart, senior vice president of CRYPTOCard, conducting an experiment that reveals the number of unprotected wifi networks open to fraud in central London. In research conducted by CPP to support the experiment in October, it was also revealed that nearly a quarter of private wireless networks have no password attached, making them immediately accessible to criminals.

To test the vulnerability of personal information further the second part of the story focuses on how identity fraud can occur should private details be compromised due to Wi-jacking. Once a wifi network has been Wi-jacked, the risk of the identity theft increases, explains CPP’s Identity Fraud expert, Michael Lynch.

In the third and final video, Have you been wi-jacked? ‘, Jason Hart simulates a malicious attack via a wifi network to show just how easily identity fraud can be committed with just a few pieces of personal information. The ethical hacker is given permission to gain access to a personal email account and describes just how quickly fraudulent activity could take place.

This series demonstrates just how risky accessing public and unprotected home wifi networks could be. Wi-jacking is just one in a very long list of how your identity could be stolen and result in identity fraud. If we’re all aware of the risks posed by this and other forms of ID fraud, we can begin to stamp out criminal activity.

For more information about Wi-jacking, take a look at CPP’s blog: http://blog.cpp.co.uk/.

Most of the Motorola Droid owners must be happy with their phone getting the Android 2.2 update soon. Android 2.2 brings with it tons of speed improvements, and some new notable features including native tethering, and mobile hotspot. Users who were hoping to enjoy these 2 new features on their Droid are sadly out of luck.

Verizon has confirmed that the Motorola Droid lacks the hardware to support mobile hotspot, and tethering. The official Verizon spokesperson said that :

The Droid by Motorola doesn’t have [the] hardware to support a Mobile Hotspot. With tethering there is no Connection on the PC side that will allow you to tether the device so the answer is that option isn’t part of this update.

The Android 2.2 (Froyo) update for the Motorola Droid will begin in the upcoming few weeks. Motorola and Verizon have already released the software update for a small test group. However, users should keep in mind that many users are already using Wi-Fi tethering and USB tethering on their Droid by hacking it.

[Windows, Mobile and Mac] Since I have a netbook and occasionally take it on the road, I decided to try out WeFi. The WeFi application and web service promises to help you locate wifi hotspots and connect you to thousands of other WeFi users. Here’s what they say about the service:

WeFi is dedicated to helping you find, connect, and enjoy Wi-Fi anywhere around the world. We provide the tools that allow our community to map the global Wi-Fi network. Our dedicated community has already discovered over 60,000,000 access points around the world. Join us today and help us map the next million!

I downloaded the 8mb installation file and started the install process. I found that there are a few places that you might want take a closer look at during the install.

The first installation options default to installing a toolbar and new default search in your web browser. When I see options like these, I nearly always opt out. I hate toolbars and I’m happy with my search providers.

Just when I thought I was done with the junk programs they wanted me to install, one more option popped in. I can’t tell you how much I dislike added shopping applications like the Price Gong offer they served up.

After getting through the options above, the software starts installing and you’ll see a cute animation with the little WeFi creature running past store fronts. It’s a little too cute. At that point, I was wondering if this was a serious company delivering a real product.

One final setting popped up after the little running logo. I decided that I definitely did not want to allow WeFi to automatically connect me to networks. I like to look them over before I allow my netbook to connect to strange new hotspots.

The final step was to actually create an account with WeFi. They step you through the sign-up and only require an email address in addition to letting you choose your username and password. Once that’s out of the way, the main WeFi interface finally launches.

After playing with it for awhile, I decided that I liked the WeFi interface because it was very similar to most instant messenger clients. Below is a video showing you a little bit about how it works.

Link to video at Youtube

Download WeFi

http://www.wefi.com/

Techie Buzz Verdict:

I didn’t like the offers for the toolbar, the change to default search and the shopping assistant. However, I did like the fact that WeFi does offer an easy way to discover new hotspots and get in touch with other WeFi users. I have mixed feelings about it at this time, but I won’t tell anyone to stay away from WeFi.

Techie Buzz Rating: 3/5 (Good)

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a new free application, called Connectify. It makes use of an unfinished feature in Windows 7 which allows you to create a personal wifi hotspot that can be shared with others.

* Please note that this application only works in Windows 7. You will also have to register at the Connectify website with a name and email address.

New and improved!

Recently, Connectify has been updated with a few minor features to bring it up to Version 1.0. The new and improved features include improved notification tray icons, support for more wireless cards, improved memory management, recovery from sleep/hibernate, support for multiple Windows accounts and more.

Why do I need Connectify?

I can think of at least two cases where Connectify would be nice.

If you don’t have a wireless router in your home, you won’t need one with Connectify. Any PC with a wireless card, that’s hooked up to the internet, can become a local wifi hotspot. Now you can broadcast the internet to your Xbox or wifi enabled phone or other devices.

If you happen to be at an airport or an internet cafe, you can share your connection and possibly help someone avoid being charged with a connection fee. Just don’t tell anyone that I said you can do this. I don’t know if it’s legal in all cases.

How to use Connectify

● Download the Connectify client
● Install it
● Look for the Connectify icon in the system tray

● Click on the icon once to open it

● Set the wifi name
● Set a password of 8 characters or more
● Select either Local or Wireless in the pull down (your current internet connection)
● Select either Access Point or Ad Hoc in the pull down (the new hotspot)
● Click the “Start Hotspot” button

As you can see, I’ve created a wifi hotspot named “skynet“.

Once it’s live, anyone with your password can connect to your hotspot. Connectify even identifies PCs and devices that are connected to it. You can see them in the window labeled “Connected Clients”. If you double click on a connected client, you can change the little icon next to it to make it easier to identify at a glance.

Techie-Buzz Verdict:

If you would like to share your internet connection wirelessly in your home or on the road, you could not ask for an easier way to do it. I have no problems giving this app a good recommendation.

Techie-Buzz Rating: 4/5 (Excellent)

A few weeks ago, a new application, called Connectify, appeared on the net. It made use of an unfinished feature in Win7 to make it easy to create personal wifi connections that can be shared with others. Please note that this application only works in Windows 7.

Recently, Connectify has been updated so that you can name the wifi connection that you create. Here’s how it works.

● Download the Connectify client
● Install it
● Look for the Connectify icon in the system tray

● Click on the icon once to open it

● Set the wifi name
● Set a password of 8 characters or more
● Select either Local or Wireless in the pull down
● Click the “Start Hotspot” button

As you can see, I’ve created a wifi hotspot named “Sky.net”. In this case, I’m fairly sure it won’t become super-intelligent and try to destroy humanity. (see wikipedia about skynet)

Once it’s live, anyone with your password can connect to your hotspot. Connectify even identifies PCs and devices that are connected to it. You can see them in the window labeled “Connected Clients”. If you double click on a connected client, you can change the little icon next to it to make it easier to identify at a glance.

Techie-Buzz Verdict: If you would like to share your internet connection wirelessly in your home or on the road, you could not ask for an easier way to do it. I have no problems giving this app a hearty recommendation.

Techie-Buzz Rating: 4/5

Travelling and looking to find a free WiFi connection? Wifi.com is the solution you are looking for, it will allow you to search and find Free WiFi hotspots around your location, allowing you access to the internet, without having to pay hefty amounts to commercial WiFi providers.

Wifi.com works similarly to previously mentioned Free Wifi Hotspot finder. It searches the surrounding areas and displays the best available options for accessing WiFi connections free of cost.

At wifi.com, we feel connecting to wifi hotspots should be easy, secure, and most of all free. Wifi.com is building a fast-growing network of free consumer and retail wifi hotspots around the globe. Join our community of wireless Internet users who want to make easy, secure and free wifi a reality.

You can quickly search a given location to find free WiFi hotspots in a particular city or area, Wifi.com will provide you with results on a map, which you can print and add it to your travel itinerary.

Wifi.com also providers users with a desktop client you can use to discover WiFi connections near you. The wifi.com connection manager lets you easily connect to the optimal wifi hotspot.

In addition to this, you can also share your Wifi connection with other users, by providing them with access to your secure Wifi network, you can invite your friends to join your wifi network and vice versa, you can easily decide who you want to share your network with, deleting those you do not want to share your wifi connection with.

Wifi.com

Imagine a situation where there are about 30 minutes for you to board a plane which would take 6 hours to your destination and you just remember that you forgot to email a important presentation due in 2 hours. What would you do in such a situation? Would you buy wireless access to surf the Internet for just 10 minutes while you can email the file? If you decide to do that then let me welcome you to the club of people who waste money when they could have save it.

Why pay when you don’t have to?

This is a question Free Hotspot a service that helps you to find free WiFi access points asks to its users. Why not find a free WiFi access point and save yourself some money.

As the name suggests Free Hotspot maintains a list of free WiFi Access points across the world which are free to use, all you have to do is enter your zip code, city name, state or area name along with the country you are in and it will show you a list of free hotspots available.

Once you input your search it will show you a list of places where you can easily access Wifi for free. Searching for my area showed me 278 results which is quite impressive since most of them are just 2-3 blocks away from where I am.

A search for the popular airports in my area like JFK and Newark also led me to several free hotspots which I never knew existed, this will definitely help me next time I am off to catch a flight to meet a client.

This is definitely a very useful service when you are on the go and may require to access the Internet urgently. I recommend you search before hand so that you can have a accessible list of free Wifi when you actually want it.

What are you waiting for then find a Free Hotspot and save some money.

Do you use any other service to find free WiFi hotspots? Do let me know about them through your comments.