Wireless network connection status

BossArky

Windows XP.... in my wireless network connection status "activity" there is always a higher number of packets being sent than received.

i.e. I have just logged on 5 minutes ago (with no file sharing programs running) but already there are

12,000 sent
11,000 received

Does this mean that my laptop is being hacked into and someone is uploading stuff from me?

... or are the "sent" packets just being sent internally somewhere else on my network card.

Thanks for any info

Spear

BossArky wrote:

Windows XP.... in my wireless network connection status "activity" there is always a higher number of packets being sent than received.

i.e. I have just logged on 5 minutes ago (with no file sharing programs running) but already there are

12,000 sent
11,000 received

Does this mean that my laptop is being hacked into and someone is uploading stuff from me?

... or are the "sent" packets just being sent internally somewhere else on my network card.

Thanks for any info

Any machine on a network will be producing all sorts of broadcast traffic on a regular basis, announcing it's name etc. Not to mention other things like Windows update trying to run, and other such services.

irlrobins

Moving to Net/Comms as it's a more general net question.

And in answer, even without doing any downloading, packets are always being broadcast and this is why you're seeing them in your connection status.

If you have a firewall running and up to date anti virus then you shouldn't have any cause for alarm.