Hi Bladerunner,
No rush - take your time. We'll be here. I will be quite surprised if you do find anything other than domain-related networking options that are different - unless intentionally configured to be different (and know of no real differences myself and I have used computers with all versions of Vista), but I've been surprised before so I certainly don't rule it out. Incidentally, don't do this just for me - I'm asking only to be able to answer your question, not for myself. Do it only if you have a concern that you are missing some options you should have or want to know what options you find on other computers do and if they are available on your system.
As far as the connection goes, the existence of a wireless device in Connect To to which you can connect offers absolutely no access to your own system - it instead potentially gives you access to theirs. To make sure the reverse isn't true (and it might be since if you can see them, chances are they can see you - but I'll bet the signal is very weak so even if done, access would likely be spotty, unreliable, and probably slow - and if they have their own there's no real reason to try to use yours unless trying to disguise their identity or reduce usage charges if they have a limited plan {and this can affect usage if you also have a limited plan and reduce your speed if the primary connection is being used by someone unauthorized}), be sure that your wireless router is secure (preferably WPA or WPA2 if supported) and has a strong key and that access to the router setup is protected with a strong and secure password. Though they recommend against it because if done then even they can't access your system, I personally remove the standard technician usernames and passwords (like admin/admin or admin/password or admin/<no password>) as they are commonly known - but be SURE you don't lose the new ones or access to the router will be impossible for anyone. Well, not entirely. They CAN still access your system by having you manually reset the router (there's usually a recessed button on the back but don't push it unless you want to spend money and time restoring things as configuration can be a bit complicated especially if the modem uses the same IP address as happens to be true in my own case) which will restore the default username and password anyway. Then even if you do show up on their computers (and you might), they still will have a tough time breaking into your system without some serious hacking - and if you're checking usage periodically, that's even better still as you will most likely detect anything significant.
Also, remember to use a standard user account normally and use an Administrator account only when required (and keep the built-in Admininstrator account disabled except in emergencies) - and keep UAC enabled and your firewall enabled and as secure as possible (enabling only those ports you actually use) and use good, updated security software (like Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes). And control and limit file sharing as much as possible. And keep permissions and ownership controlled and avoid the temptation to grant Everyone access to everything even if it means you sometimes need to login to access folders or files or temporarily change permissions to access certain folders or files. These are normal precautions, but as you are concerned about piggybacking which we just discussed (and from there it's a shorter step to actual access - but not really something to be concerned about if you use normal precautions), I thought it wise to mention them just in case.
I hope this helps.
Good luck!
