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deviousgelatin · Nov 15, 2003, 01:47 AM

Just figured out that I'm picking up someone else's wi-fi signal in my apartment. Not all that strong - fluctuates between 1 & 2 bars - but is it worth it from a financial/karmic sense to ditch my broadband and just leech of this guy's network??

kanker · Nov 15, 2003, 02:58 AM

If you have to ask, what do YOU think the answer is?

Macfreak7 · Nov 15, 2003, 03:18 AM

I would do it.
If the other person was all that concerned about not sharing, they would set a password or make it inaccessable to others, one way or another.
Besides, if I owned a base-station, I wouldn't bother 'protecting' it, rather let any and everyone around use it, for free.

Echelon · Nov 15, 2003, 11:56 PM

just hope he's not savvy enough to use a packet sniffer (and if his network isn't protected, he most likely isn't). Then you might not be so happy about leeching off his connection.

but I'd do it if it were broadband and all I had was stinkin' dialup.

deviousgelatin · Nov 16, 2003, 12:32 AM

I've been keeping my eye on it for a few days now. Not the strongest signal. 1-2 bars at best. Right now my thinking is that I'll keep my cable modem, but save the money on an AEBS. When I want to disconnect and go wireless, I'll just use his/her (don't want to be sexist in this day and age) wifi signal.

I think the signal may be coming from the sub shop down the street - just saw a sign in their window advertising free wifi while you eat.....

kanker · Nov 16, 2003, 01:05 AM

Hey, if you can trace it to there, surf away!

aaanorton · Nov 16, 2003, 02:23 AM

Originally posted by deviousgelatin:
When I want to disconnect and go wireless, I'll just use his/her (don't want to be sexist in this day and age) wifi signal.

It's ammusing that you're worried about sounding sexist while you leach off of a neighbor's resources, instead of stepping up, like a man, and paying your own way.
Loser. And that applies to all the other sissies on this thread too.

deviousgelatin · Nov 16, 2003, 02:50 AM

aaanorton-

If you'd actually read the thread, you'd see that I did decide to continue to pay my way. And personally, I agree with those that stated that the owner of the network can always choose to password protect if he/she doesn't want it used - and that when I get my own aebs, you can rest assured that I will leave it open for all. Except you.

As for all the "a"s in your handle, I have a pretty good idea what they stand for.....

rjenkinson · Nov 16, 2003, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by deviousgelatin:
aaanorton-
If you'd actually read the thread, you'd see that I did decide to continue to pay my way.

no, actually you didn't. you said, "When I want to disconnect and go wireless, I'll just use his/her (don't want to be sexist in this day and age) wifi signal."

aanorton was right.

-r.

aaanorton · 01:28 PM

Originally posted by deviousgelatin:
If you'd actually read the thread, you'd see that I did decide to continue to pay my way.

Ya, right. Except when you want to "disconnect and go wireless". In future posts, try to not sound like such a mindless blithering idiot. Of course you'd only steal the signal when you were wireless. It's a wireless signal, for christ's sake. This goes without saying, as you have no other options.

And personally, I agree with those that stated that the owner of the network can always choose to password protect if he/she doesn't want it used...

People also have the option of choosing to lock their doors, or not. By your line of reasoning, you could feel free to help yourself to any of their belongings, if they chose not to lock it up.
Your naive argument doesn't hold up, as has been discussed here and elsewhere endlessly. The signal is not yours. Get it?

and that when I get my own aebs, you can rest assured that I will leave it open for all. Except you.

Boo-fukcing-hoo. I pay for my own service and my own wireless router (a whole 30 bucks, if you ever bothered searching), so that I would not need to rely on leeching off of other humans.

As for all the "a"s in your handle, I have a pretty good idea what they stand for.....

You've already illustrated that your diminutive little "ideas" are simply for cr@p. What you think or imagine holds interest for me not at all.

ghporter · Nov 16, 2003, 02:25 PM

The ethical question posed at the begining of this thread was simple: is it ethical to use something that belongs to someone else, with the assumption that they don't know about it? The answer is simple too: no. The technical term for this practice is "stealing," even if the owner of what you're taking doesn't have a clue you're doing it and doesn't come to any added expense from it.

Worse, as a good neighbor, you could have tried to find the owner of that wireless access point and tell them that they are wide open. You could have warned them of how unscrupulous people could hijack their Internet connection, browse their private files, distribute illegal files using their IP, and so on, opening them up to serious legal problems.

If your computer is a laptop (which I am assuming because of what you've said in your postings), you can use some free software (AirSnort is one, NetStumbler is another) to locate the owner of that unprotected access point and thus help them out.

aaanorton · Nov 16, 2003, 03:40 PM

Once again, GHP, you have managed to succinctly and moderately post where I simply ranted. The baseness of these threads irks me to no end, which is why I stayed away from this one as long as I did. Anyway, well put, as always.

Macfreak7 · Nov 16, 2003, 09:40 PM

As long as your intentions are good, i.e. you limit yourself to browsing and other such low-band activities, and of course do not commit any forms of abuse of his IP, I'd say it's cool. Especially since he won't be drastically affected by it.
But like GHPorter pointed out, it would be better if you tried to locate him and talk to him about it. Perhaps you could chip in some $$, buy an antenna to extend the range and split the ISP bill.

ghporter · Nov 17, 2003, 03:00 PM

MacFreak has the right idea, at least in the last part of his post. This can be an opportunity to build community with your neighbors, instead of mooching off of them. A neighbor a few doors down had her ABS running without any protection, and once I noticed it, I walked down and explained it. No problem, no hassle, and I had a grateful neighbor.

And I take heart in the fact that the question was even asked; there are lots of opportunities for people all over to use other's wireless networks without permission. At least devious thought about it.

Jens Peter · Nov 19, 2003, 06:33 AM

Originally posted by Macfreak7:
Perhaps you could chip in some $$, buy an antenna to extend the range and split the ISP bill.

Thats what I do. I just moved, at I quickly found out that one of my neighbors had a open wireless network. So I went in next door, at talked to her, telling her that her network was open to everone. I asked if we could share, and we do now. And sometimes I fix her computer and she cookes dinner!

Athens · Nov 19, 2003, 08:05 AM

Originally posted by deviousgelatin:
Just figured out that I'm picking up someone else's wi-fi signal in my apartment. Not all that strong - fluctuates between 1 & 2 bars - but is it worth it from a financial/karmic sense to ditch my broadband and just leech of this guy's network??

The best option would be to track this person down, explain to them that you can get there signal, help them secure it, work out a deal to share the connection, secure both your networks so either cant see or access each others stuff, offer to help pay for there internet connection that you would be sharing.

Question you must ask yourself, what happens if I cant access it any more, how long does it take to get my internet back, what is the reconnect costs if I have to order it again and is my computer secure enough to prevent them from hacking or seeing what I have. Also what is the law in your State/Prov about stealing signal, in Canada as far as I know there isnt a law that addresses that, but I wouldnt be surprised if that some state has made laws about it.

Athens · Nov 19, 2003, 08:07 AM

LOL didnt read your update about it

sounds like things worked out well for you, wish I had a wireless to share with people could use the extra money to pay for the line

Zaffir · Nov 19, 2003, 08:00 PM

For a while i left my wireless access point here at school available to anyone (although with almost all ports closed). I would wait for some kid to connect, and then i'd sniff his/her web and AIM traffic, just for shits and giggles. But i've since locked down my AP (static IP, no SSID broadcast, WEP, VPN, MAC filtering, etc.).

ghporter · Nov 19, 2003, 10:13 PM

Devious,

If you are indeed getting the signal from the sub shop, that's a whole different ball game. They are actively giving away their connection, maybe sort of like having a guy standing on the sidewalk giving away samples of the subs? Anyway, if they're giving it away, and you're actually getting THEIR signal, you should be ethically ok. You may want to wander down and sample both their sandwiches and their connections to see if the SSID (network name) is the one you're seeing, just to clarify things.

voodoo · Nov 27, 2003, 06:27 PM

Don't steal but if they're giving it away go ahead and take a byte.

MickS · Dec 2, 2003, 11:58 AM

Since replacing my aged TiBook (with lousy Airport reception) with a new AlBook I can now see someone elses WiFi network. I have asked my immediate neighbours but neither of them have a basestation so it can't be them.

I have connected to the network to see if it would let me use it and it does without any problems. To be neighbourly I'd like to track down the source of the network and let them know it's open, but I can't think of a way of doing this without walking round with my AlBook and I'm loathe to do that.

Given that it's not an immediate neighbour and my parents live on the other side of the street I'm interested in tracking them down to see what sort of basestation they have.

ghporter · Dec 2, 2003, 12:27 PM

Mick,

The problem with wandering around with your computer is that the antennas in the computer are designed to be omnidirectional-it wouldn't do you any good to point it in one direction or another to locate where the signal is stronger. You'd just have to do the "warmer, warmer, hot!" game to figure out where the base station is. That's slow, but it's not unworkable; it is kind of obvious, though.

John Strung · Dec 2, 2003, 02:38 PM

If it is worth it to you, I understand you can buy credit-card sized "wifi detectors" for about $30. Search Google.

ghporter · Dec 2, 2003, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by John Strung:
If it is worth it to you, I understand you can buy credit-card sized "wifi detectors" for about $30. Search Google.

I've seen them for less than $30US at BestBuy. They're the size of a stack of credit cards, but that's still pretty compact.