I took my trusty little WiFi detector and hit the streets of our local area to see just how many businesses and individuals were using wireless networks. I was surprised by the results.

The Canary WiFi detector that I carried is a small device with one button. Press the button, and it finds any wireless network in the area. It then displays the name and strength of the network as well as the network’s security status.

Since WiFi networks can extend more than 100 feet, it was easy to simply walk or drive by a building, press the button and see how many wireless networks appeared on my Canary screen.

My first trip was through several residential areas in Pinehurst. I pressed the button and found street after street filled with wireless networks. Although residential areas in Southern Pines had slightly fewer networks, in the business areas I found network after network.

The amazing thing about my trek about town was that more than half of the networks I found were listed as “open” networks, meaning that they were not secured with encryption.

Some businesses that use a proxy server will appear to be “open” networks, but you cannot get on the network without the proxy server address. Best Buy was one of the businesses in the area that had that type of setup.

Most small businesses and home users do not have proxy servers and I was able to log onto network after network in the area. Actually, I was also able to log on to Best Buy’s network because they had the address of their proxy server listed in a public area of the store.

In one instance, I found a wireless network that someone had named “goaway,” but that was another open network that could be easily accessed. In many cases, these networks did not even have a network name. When I saw a network called “default” or “linksys,” I pretty much knew that it was most likely that no one had changed the default passwords on these networks either.

That means any computer-savvy person could log onto the network as an administrator and change the network settings.

I could have, if I wanted to, put passwords on those networks that would have locked half of the area out of its own networks. Obviously, a hacker could do the same and could also infiltrate these networks and steal personal information.

So folks, you’ve got your work cut out for you. If you have a wireless network, get out your router manual and figure out how to password protect your networks and how to add encryption so that others cannot access your network.

If you can’t figure out how to do this, call a local consultant like my company, Computer Living Corp. Any time you invest, or cost that you may incur will be nothing compared to the time and effort that you will spend if someone steals your identity by accessing your personal network.

Businesses should be even more intent on making sure that their wireless networks are secure.

I am thrilled to see so many in our area have embraced this great new technology, but now it’s time to make sure that you secure your networks!

Sandy Berger welcomes your comments and questions on today’s column. Please post them on the Compu-Kiss Message Board at www.compukiss.com/