New ibook "air something" internet question

[ibook2]

I have here my new ibook 12". Normally I have a dsl connection to connect to the internet. But, from what I've read this new ibook can connect to the internet without dsl or modem. I suspect that it will work at Starbucks, but decide to try it here at my apartment in NYC.

So, I unhook the dsl connection and fiddle around with some menus about airport and Linksys and wallah! I'm connected to the internet. I really have no idea how this is working, or what I'm doing but it seems to be a very fast solid connection.

Can anyone explain or point me to some info about what's going on. Is this connection secure? Is it safe to make credit card transactioins accross it? Am I stealing someone elses bandwidth? Should I cancel my dsl subscription? Are there any other considerations I should be aware of?

I can't get over how much the ibook has advanced since my old clamshell, apple is rockin. I bought this computer down at the apple store and a guy there said apple sells a million dollars a day on weekends....incredible for one store.

 

[tribe3]

You are connected to someone else's network

 

[grapes911]

You are connected to someone else's network

Or you have a wireless router and don't know it.

 

[Daedalus256]

you'll learn that your airport is a beast at picking up other peoples interwebs. Until I got a wireless router at my apartment, it found a network somewhere around the apartment and was able to keep a decent connection so that I could stay on it. I've been able to connect to a lot of networks that I probably shouldn't have using my airport on my powerbook .

 

[tribe3]

I live in a house in a neighborhood and my AirPort detects 2 other networks from neighbors; one requires password and one doesn't. I bet that on NYC your iBook can catch signals everywhere!
“Linksys” is the default name of a Linksys brand router (and “admin” is the default password by the way…)