Wireless computing: all about Wi-Fi:.(Home computing: the new realities)

Wireless has become the new byword for computing, at home and on the road. One in 10 of the people we've surveyed who have linked their computers in a home network did it wirelessly so they can move laptops from room to room yet remain connected.

In addition, a million people in North America handle their e-mall and surf the Web wirelessly at more than 28,000 public "hotspots" at airports, hotels, Starbucks coffee shops, and even in parks and near phone booths. The Gartner research firm in Stamford, Conn., predicts that five million users, mainly toting laptops, will be using wireless in a year or two.

Still, many computer users may not have tried wireless, known as Wi-Fi. Although promising, Wi-Fi is freighted with concerns about security and privacy, plus questions …