Wireless Networking Which is "safer" from a hotel room (public or private IP)?

I always log in from hotels and am faced with the question if I want a
public IP address (ostensibly for VPN) or a firewalled hotel IP.

Which should I pick?

I'm not using VPN (which they seem to indicate the public IP is for) but it
seems like I'd get more "privacy" from the public IP address as the other
IP address would be associated with the hotel (wouldn't it?)

Basically, I'm confused.

Which would YOU pick and why?

Does it matter?

typically the private IP is a NAT address that will give you more
protection that a public IP. besides the hotel firewall, you should
use the Windows Firewall and if you are running Vista, set the IP to
public even though the hotel uses the word private.

NAT addresses don't route over the Internet in the same way that a
public address/IP would. So even if something **outside** the hotel
knows your NAT private IP, they can't reach you directly.

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:11:25 GMT, "Tia B. McMahon"


--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

You get more protection by using the hotel's private LAN IP, because the
computer is behind a border device such as a router or FW appliance most
likely, and they protect the computer from the Internet while the computer
is on the hotel's private LAN.

However, that doesn't account for other computers on the hotel's LAN from
trying to access your computer. They can see your computer. So, you have to
run a personal firewall/packet filter on your computer to protect the
computer on the hotel's LAN.

Hi
Routers provide some level of security from the Internet.
However to be secure (Router or Not) you should use Software firewall,
Antivirus, and AntiSpyware on your computer.

Why?  Internet Basic protection - http://www.ezlan.net/firewall.html

If you are already using such protection then it does not matter so match
whether you use the public IP or the private.

However if you are using Wireless there is another concern that has nothing
to do with the Internet or the type of IP per-se.

If the Wireless transmission is Not encrypted (I.e. at least WPA level)
other guests at the hotel can sniff, or "join" you on the Network and might
obtain private information.

Therefore, if the choice is secure Wireless vs. none secure use the secure.
Jack (MVP-Networking).

Jack (MVP-Networking). wrote:


No, they don't


Huh? Why?


Nonsense.