disable laptop

Hi Peter

What make and model is your laptop (offhand IIRC its a Dell)? but on many laptops you will see a WiFi on/off button (likely the WiFi symbol on it) above the keyboard and pressing this and more often than not the WiFi light will go out, and you should see in Networking properties or System Tray that your WiFi is off, so disabled.

EDIT: just remembered your laptop model, Inspiron 15R and the keypress of Fn+F2 should give you a setting for Wifi On/Off.

Or you can go into Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections and right click the WiFi network icon and choose Disable, then when you want it back go back to that icon and right click and Enable.

Should also be a setting to disable Wifi in the Windows Mobility Centre in Control Panel.

But if you have setup your WiFi connection with a Password, while out and about in the car you the direct connection for home is not going to work as it will only connect when you are close to your Router at Home.


Also keep your laptop turned off in the car, unless you are the passenger and want to while the minutes away on a journey by using the laptop, thus just disable your Wifi with one of the above but its rare for anyone to be connecting to your PC at will, unless you have been the one that initiates the connection to say an insecure Wifi Hotspot etc.

 

Hi Peter

No one is really going to connect to your laptop ad-hoc while it could happen its rare and someone would have to be really trying as in the main its your laptop that would be the device wanting to connect to a local WiFi connection be that Open (unsecure) or Open (secure).

Try if you wish to disconnect the Wifi card in a temp basis, to open Device Manager open Network Adapters and right click disable the Wireless card.

Personally with the security apps you have already on your PC and having your Wifi disconnected and it will do that automatically as you move out of range from your home wifi router, I think you will be fine, I have never had to really disconnect my Wifi hardware on my laptop or netbook while travelling and do not see it as a risk having Wifi enabled as the onus is on you to connect to a local hotspot, if you don't and they don't automatically do this, then your fine IMHO.

 

Hi Peter

The DW1501 is the wireless device to disable if you actually need too.

Yes if you are just composing word docs and say draft up emails on the go, then you should be fine, then when you have a secure internet connection send the emails etc.

Just a thought as I occasionally have is that are you just using free or hotel/business hotspots or do you have one of those 3G dongles from your ISP or mobile provider, the Hotspots are a weird one as when connecting to them you are open to possibility of data being captured, although rare it could happen, but the wifi dongle (3 or 4G ones) offers a safer option (I use my phones capability for connecting to my PC, so have HSDPA connecting which is more secure then a hotspot and actually quicker than most depending on signal strength) possibly for you, but their is a cost attached to these dongles, depends on what your phone provider offers, but it maybe a monthly cost you can deal with for the peace of mind, so worth a look at as an option.

Cheers and you too Peter on relaxing weekend
David

 

Yes to 1st question and that's a good option in not using wifi connections you are not 100% sure about.