Private Network on City Wifi??

So my city just set up city wide wifi. I can pick up the signal from my house on my laptop. Is there a way to have a router connect to the wifi signal and then create a private network within my household that I can secure like my current dsl connection?

FYI the city wide wifi requires an account with a password to obtain the service, im leery to make the switch from my current dsl plan to city wifi unless i can be guaranteed more security

 

I would suggest that this is not possible as wireless is never secure even when it is encrypted. Also if the city allowed what you are suggesting then everyone on the network would be able to access everyone else's computers.
If the city wireless is free then I would buy a wireless access point and connect that to the network and then connect your computers to the wireless access point by a wired network.

 

Thanks for the info. Wireless access point. What exactly is that and does that offer me security?

 

A wireless access point is used to connect a wireless network to a wired network. They do not offer security in of themselves, but the bit I forgot to add in my previous description was to add a router with a firewall between the access point and your home network. The home network does not necessarily have to be wired, if you get a wireless router you can use that wirelessly instead of the city network.

Please note however, on top of what I said before, any data that leaves your network and goes on to the city wireless, by whatever means, will be visible and interceptable, just like in any other wireless network. The method I have outlined above is designed only to prevent others gaining access to your computers directly.