WiFi Advice Please

[ronster]

I moved into a large Senior Living apartment complex six years ago and got hooked up with the local cable co. for internet service. About a year ago I decided to get a base station so I could sit on my patio and use the internet and set up my personal network with a password and the highest security settings. If you are familiar with cable companies you know that their rates steadily creep up and I'm now paying a couple of hundred more dollars per year for the same service.
The complex has a free WiFi service called DLink but the signal from it was not strong enough to reach my apartment, it was primarily for the complex's computer room and people sitting around the pool. Yesterday I went in to check the different networks that were operating and found a full signal coming from DLink and, as a trial, disconnected my base station and modem from the cable company and have been using DLink for my personal computer, iPod and my Roku. The signal is great and actually is better and faster than what the cable co. gave me.
Not being familiar with WiFi signals and using a network that others may be on I'm also not familiar with security issues so am asking for advice regarding using the free service which will save me over $400 a year. Being on a fixed income $400 can go a long way but I don't want to jeopardize security to save money.
Keep in mind when discussing this and giving advice that all of the people living here are elderly and at least don't appear to be criminal types or computer savvy enough to hack.
Thanks up front for guidance!

[red-beard]

It sounds like the "DLink" is a Dlink wifi router with no security settings. I expect they have it hooked up to a very highspeed internet connection, since this is shared with a lot of people.

I expect that the speed is OK, because not many are using the system. As more computer savvy people arrive, the speed will go down.

On security, just make sure you have good firewall software, good Anti virus software and have your settings setup for "public" network and you should be fine.

[krystar]

and just be generally careful about doing any online banking, credit card shopping, etc, that you always see the "lock" icon on your browser and verify the URL starts with https://

[VincentVega]

x2

But I'll add any site that you authenticate to should be encrypted. If not, anyone can grab your username/password. With not 'lock', only enter data into a browser you want everyone to see.