As title
my ipod touch has wifi and it detects networks some secure some not I connected to a non secure one the other day but what does it do and how do you use it.

tony

its all black magic i tell you

Its the pixies that do it i tell ya!!

as much as i understand it its works like normal internet but on a radio freqency to comunicate with the modem instead of a cablemas for secure v unsecured its basicly as it says a secure network you can only log onto if you know the password unsecured anyone can log onto so therfor could recive any personal info you may use of i think can acsess you macine also but not sure on that no doubt a more tecnical explanation will follow

In a nutshell :

You connect a gadget to your phone line that receives your broadband signal.

Gadget transmits the info as a radio signal (hence WIreless) that any WiFi
enabled device can pick up and thus connect to the broadband.

Secure simply means there's password encription used on the radio link.

Unsecured can be picked up by anyone and can potentially roam your computer
as if it was on an open network.

Everything I have runs on WIFI, there are loads of different signal frequencies but the most common you get will be 802.11g, basically in the good old days you would get a modem that went into your pc and by dialling up through it you could access the internet, then broadband came, most peoples broadband is always on and so instead of needing to dial-up the machine (router) just allows specified pc's (or laptops/mobiles, other devices etc.) to access the internetthrough it, WIFI (wireless fdelity) is essentially a wireless alternative to the USB or RJ45 cables that would connect a pc to it's modem. If you're connecting to an unsecured network then (assuming your at home) you'll be connecting to one of your neighbours internet connections, if you have a wireless router then you can connect to that (secured is safer as encryption doesn't allow others to see what you're sending/receiving - think credit cards!); look on the back for a WPA or WEP (these are just different types of encryption) key, this will be the password that will allow you to connect to a secured network. As far as it goes for an ipod, there are some pieces of hardware (such as a sling box) that will allow you to transmit your music via wifi to bigger better speakers rather than your headphones, I don't have an ipod so I can't be sure but on the more recent ones (and certainly the iphone) it may be possible to download tracks or firmware updates to your ipod without having to access a pc. With regards to wifi on a mobile it basically means that if you are going to use your mobile for an internet function, instead of using the phones internet connectivity (which will use up your allowance/cost you a bomb on pay as you go) you would do it via the wifi, which shouldn't cost you anything. Hope this helps.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm

Wifi is a connectivity standard for transmitting the TCP/IP protocol over 2.4ghz radio frequencies. Its associated with the internet because thats how most people are exposed to the technology. It is however just for connecting devices. Think of it like a mature bluetooth.

Don't assume that wifi = internet. Loads of people buy wifi devices, only to get all upset that they can't just "pick up" the internet wherever they are. You still need to have a broadband router or access to a wifi hotspot to the internet.