av8rdude

The main reason I use my Airport Express on the road is the added layer of security when using hotel internet. It's not perfect, but it's supposed to encrypt everything you send and receive over its wifi. I'm sure it can be hacked, but it's better than nothing at all. Even if a hotel has wifi, I connect the Airport Express to the room's wired internet and create my own little wifi network and use it instead of the room's wifi. Works great.

hyperone

I used to use the Airport Express internationally for security and to create a WiFi network for my iPhone and iPad also. But, it's limited to only wired hotel room connections - it does not work for wireless-only hotel rooms, and it's kind of bulky.

After reading TonyC write about the older ASUS WL330 device on this thread :http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ca...-ipads-15.html, I did my own research into articles about the lack of security in hotel wireless networks, such as:

Hotel Wifi Hacking is on the Rise

Study: Hotel network security lacking - SC Magazine

Security Using High-Speed Internet at Hotels | USA Today

These article describe how nearly 40% of credit card hacking occurs in unsecured hotel wireless networks, and that only 20% of hotel wireless networks are secured. After reading them, I went looking for the ASUS device TonyC wrote about for wireless-to-wireless hotel room protection. That ASUS router is no longer available, but it's replacement is even better.

The latest ASUS WL-330NUL wireless router is the size my pinkie finger, and provides a WPA2-encrypted wired-to-wireless network, or a wireless-to-wireless network in your room. It costs $35 on Amazon at:

Amazon.com: ASUS Multi-Mode Pocket Router (WL-330NUL): Computers & Accessories

I configured mine on my home network, gave the wireless network a personal name and a WPA2 password, put the ASUS website you are required to click on before you can log onto a hotel network up in my favorites bar, and saved the password stamped on the side of the device to a desktop file for easy retrieval.

Great little device. Combine it with a personal hotspot and you have created a much more secure wireless environment in your hotel room while on the road.

Travel Tip. One downside to the thing is that it is so small that it is easy to forget when you leave your room at 2 AM. I carry an extra little Apple USB plug converter, plug it into the desk 110 outlet when I get in the room, and always hang my ID and tie around it, and put a shoe next to it for good measure, just do I don't forget the da**ed little thing.

ackattacker

Using a wireless-to-wireless router in your room does not add any real security. Although the wireless network it creates may be "secure", the hotel wireless network it connects to is not. All internet traffic is still exposed to snooping. And wired connections are not secure, either. Anybody else plugged into the same hotel network can use a packet sniffer and see all of your traffic. This isn't quite as terrible as it sounds, because most reputable banks and such use "https" so that credit card info and passwords are sent in an encrypted format. But https isn't bulletproof and there's a good chance you sometimes sent that info to websites without encryption.

The only realistic way to create real security it to use good VPN software such as OpenVPN. The standard Microsoft VPN software (PPTP) is known to be insecure. OpenVPN is available for ipad, iphone, android, Windows, etc.

To use VPN, you need to either setup your home router to accept VPN connections if it supports it (which is what I do), or purchase a subscription to a VPN service.

hyperone

Concur. Which is what I meant to say when I said combine the ASUS with a hotspot. Didn't word it properly. I haven't tried Open VPN, but do use Hotspot Shield.

kme9418

I plug into the cat5 outlet on the wall and don't connect to wireless whenever possible. How much safer am I?

hyperone

From what I've read in the articles I linked above, plus many others, it depends on the network security employed by the hotel. It appears that the majority of hotels do not do enough to secure their networks, whether wired or wireless.
That being said, at least with a wired connection you may be somewhat protected from joe shmoe logging onto the hotel network while sitting in the lobby or in the coffee shop next door. Of course, if the hotel offers both wireless and wired connections, and they both connect to the same network, that all goes out the window.
Again, it appears that a wireless-to-wireless device using WPA2 password protection will allow you to log on multiple devices onto your own network, after logging onto the hotel network with the first device. ASUS claims that their travel routers provide enhanced security in this situation.
As ackattacker wrote above, you still should employ some type of VPN security. Investigate it for yourself - there's a lot of info out there on travel internet security usage.

Adlerdriver

Not iPad specific but didn't want to start a new thread.

Anyone know if we can still select the FSR option to display recent reports on the home page of PFC? I can't seem to find any link/option page that gives us control over that any longer.

MaydayMark

Heard a rumor that FedEx got a big discount on iPads from a HealthCare company that decided to shut down ...

MaydayMark

For all of you digital everything folks out there ...

The Paperless Future - 'Emma'

tin kicker

Adler,

Go to the Safety page under Departments. Lower middle portion of the screen has the latest data released (ASAPExpress, FOQA Figures and FOQA Facts etc.). Look under the FOM 2.15 Events icon to see the events reported during the last week (older weeks archived).