Would you admit to this??

[Just Jan]

My boyfriend discovered a neighbor is using his WIFi. There is nothing funnier than to see this guy on his computer and when boyfriend unplugs his router the guy jumps up and starts moving the laptop around the window trying to get a connection.

 

[laurie31]

well, my network is open and my neighbors feel free to sign on in their house, I guess I could technically close it but then I would have to give them a password so they can use it. One neighbor is on limited income and we have even offered to set her up with a direct line to her house so she can have it without going wireless. Heck, my DH even went over to make sure she could pick it up and set up her laptop to do so. My other neighbor hardly ever uses it but occasionally needs to do so. Our library closes at 5 pm so there are no public ways.

I think this situation, where your neighbors have your consent, along with the example of getting sccess after Katrina, are in a whole different catagory than just brazenly stealing internet so you don't have to pay for it and then bragging about it. The woman described in the OP not on a limited income if she has a gym membership.

What pyrxtc and arminnie's dad are doing is a kindness, no different than taking food to someone in need. What the woman the OP described is doing is stealing.

(btw, we use unsecured access at the beach too; it's not like we can set up a network in a rented condo for a week - lol, so we're not trying to get out of paying; we just have no other means to get online while we're there.)

 

[snarlingcoyote]

LOL on the speed issue, nothing surprises me anymore with people. What would worry me if ours was unsecured, would be someone tapping into our service and downloading copyrighted stuff that would be traced back to our connection. No way do I want to deal with that potential lawsuit waiting to happen. This was the main reason we told our neighbors about this, one of the signals that we pick up is owned by a retired couple, I'm not sure if they know how to put the protection in place. My oldest has offered to help them in the past.

Well, that was the rationale a few years ago, but what seems to be trickling down now is that letting someone use your internet connection is the same as letting someone in your home to use the phone. If someone were at your door and asked to use your phone and you let them and they called in a bomb threat to the local elementary school, are you responsible for the bomb threat? Same for a business that puts a phone out for public use or a wi-fi for public use.

That said, my wi-fi connections are locked. The freeloaders are not dragging down MY bandwidth, thank you very much.

 

[C.Ann]

I wouldn't admit it, because I wouldn't do it..

But I have heard others admit to it..

 

[aprilgail2]

well, my network is open and my neighbors feel free to sign on in their house, I guess I could technically close it but then I would have to give them a password so they can use it. One neighbor is on limited income and we have even offered to set her up with a direct line to her house so she can have it without going wireless. Heck, my DH even went over to make sure she could pick it up and set up her laptop to do so. My other neighbor hardly ever uses it but occasionally needs to do so. Our library closes at 5 pm so there are no public ways.

I have mine secured but I gave my neighbors the password to save them some money.
At work people bring their laptops and in one area of the parking lot near houses they park and use the laptop in their car because someone over that way has an unsecured signal they all jump on!