Using the neighbours internet

[aesthetics]

That's what I do when my router is having issues or dad's working on it. I leech off of somebody's internet in the neighborhood, haha.

 

[Amused]

You are using his signal and bandwidth without his permission. It doesn't matter how insecure it is anymore than entering an unlocked house uninvited.

Someone else not securing something is NOT a legal excuse for using it without their permission.

It simply amazes me the lengths people will go to to make excuses for their actions... and yet if someone violates their rights, freedoms or property they are the first to scream bloody murder.

Besides the legal angle (it IS illegal, BTW) there is the ethical one. Would you want strangers using your bandwith and signal without your permission?

The golden rule is a pretty easy way to tell if you should, or should not do something.

 

[aesthetics]

Originally posted by: Amused
You are using his signal and bandwidth without his permission. It doesn't matter how insecure it is anymore than entering an unlocked house uninvited.

Someone else not securing something is NOT a legal excuse for using it without their permission.

It simply amazes me the lengths people will go to to make excuses for their actions... and yet if someone violates their rights, freedoms or property they are the first to scream bloody murder.

Besides the legal angle (it IS illegal, BTW) there is the ethical one. Would you want strangers using your bandwith and signal without your permission?

The golden rule is a pretty easy way to tell if you should, or should not do something.

Pwned.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
As long as you don't flash their router with the wrong firmware...

:evil:

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Amused
You are using his signal and bandwidth without his permission. It doesn't matter how insecure it is anymore than entering an unlocked house uninvited.

Someone else not securing something is NOT a legal excuse for using it without their permission.

It simply amazes me the lengths people will go to to make excuses for their actions... and yet if someone violates their rights, freedoms or property they are the first to scream bloody murder.

Besides the legal angle (it IS illegal, BTW) there is the ethical one. Would you want strangers using your bandwith and signal without your permission?

The golden rule is a pretty easy way to tell if you should, or should not do something.

you and your logic...

booooooo

 

[soydios]

Illegal? Yes.
Morally wrong? Not to me as long as you don't do anything malicious.

 

[0roo0roo]

wifi honey pot....

 

[coldmeat]

I used my neighbour's for simple browsing, like accessing my school's website until mine was installed. I would have absolutely no problem if anybody used mine for this. If they were using it for torrents I would have a problem. Between 4 of us we have a 60gb cap.

 

[Canai]

In the last place I lived, I used some neighbor's wireless to contact my ISP and complain about mine not working :laugh:

Turned out my stupid roomie hadn't paid the bill :|

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: funkymatt

Originally posted by: CrazyLazy
http://compnetworking.about.co.../f/legal_free_wifi.htm

"Just as entering a home or business without the owner's permission is considered trespassing (even if the doors are unlocked), likewise accessing wireless Internet connections (even open access ones) can be considered an illegal activity."

Just because something is unsecured doesn't mean you can break into it.

that doesn't make complete sense though, they're broadcasting their signal into your house.

Dish Network is broadcasting their signal into your house. Go ahead and use that.

That's a poor example, since the signal is encrypted. Your example would be great if the OP had broken into a secure wireless network, for instance.

If I leave my security settings off on my wireless router, I see no problem with other people using it. However, I have my security settings on at all times. It's as simple as that. It's not like this is a difficult or inconvenient task.

This is why most routers don't have wireless activated as a default; you have to log in, activate wireless and choose not to enable security. By making that choice, you're telling everyone that it's okay to use the network.

It's funny how the people who usually piss and moan about personal responsibility are the first to jump to the defense of people who don't turn on wireless security. Wouldn't your time be better spent educating people (who are not on ATOT) about using WPA or WPA2?

 

[Colt45]

People wasting your bandwidth is the punishment for being to lazy/ignorant to secure the network.

 

[QueBert]

Use it, I have an idiot neighbor who refuses to secure his internet and he has a router with a Godzilla sized antenna., My WiFi adapter auto connects to it without asking me. Sure I could disable the WiFi software and use Windows Zero Configuration and tell it not to connect to his network. But fuck that, I told him he should WPA his network he said "no" and he told me to stop using it. I don't him I would leave my system as is and if he wants me to stop using it he can take the steps to secure his network. Why the fuck should I have to spend time modifying my system to keep from connecting to his? I hope he calls the cops on me, I really don't care at this point lol. I feel the OP and people like him shouldn't have to change their systems settings to NOT connect to a network they're doing nothing to connect to in the first place.

 

[dawp]

There are some out there that will set up an access point with the sole purpose of sharing it. i forget the name , but there is a company who's business model is set up on this premis

 

[jupiter57]

I have a wireless network at home. I intentionally leave it unsecured, because I, like others, always appreciate being able to connect to an unsecured network in my travels while in a pinch.
So it's just my way of giving back what I have taken.

 

[Kirby]

Ask your neigbors. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you used a couple days until your DSL gets setup. Throw in a couple bucks for the trouble.

 

[Xavier434]

Them leaving it open makes it ok for you to use their internet service that they pay for without their permission? Would you walk into their house and start watching their TV without their permission just because they leave the backdoor unlocked?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Colt45
People raping your wife is the punishment for being to lazy/ignorant to lock the doors.

Fixed.

Just because something is not locked or secured does NOT make it legal nor ethical to take or use without permission of the owner.

Not a single one of you would like someone to use/take/abuse something of yours without your permission. Therefore you have no ethical excuse for doing the same to others.

Now if you PURPOSELY leave your wifi open and invite others to use it, you are giving permission. That does not excuse you assuming that every other open wifi is the same anymore than every unlocked house is open for you to roam.

The golden rule is not ..."as your cynical, excuse making ass would expect others to treat you" ... it's "as you would like them to treat you."

 

[MattCo]

Originally posted by: Xavier434
Them leaving it open makes it ok for you to use their internet service that they pay for without their permission? Would you walk into their house and start watching their TV without their permission just because they leave the backdoor unlocked?

What if they had it on in their backyard, and you could easily see it out your window?

 

[LS8]

Chances are the OP's neighbors have no idea that he is even using it, that isn't an excuse though IMO.

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: MattCo

Originally posted by: Xavier434
Them leaving it open makes it ok for you to use their internet service that they pay for without their permission? Would you walk into their house and start watching their TV without their permission just because they leave the backdoor unlocked?

What if they had it on in their backyard, and you could easily see it out your window?

The point was that watching the TV in itself is not something that bothers people. People walking into a neighbor's house without the neighbor's permission is something that many people have issues with. You can also top it off with the fact that bandwidth caps and speed decreases makes the situation worse than that of watching someone's TV.

Why not just ask permission first?

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Originally posted by: Baked
It's an ethics thing. It's like saying if somebody's stupid enough to leave their $4.5K uber mountain bike in their garage w/ the door open and had it stolen, then it's the owner's fault for not locking the garage door. Sure the owner of the router can take 5 minutes to turn on wireless security and disable SSID, but it's even faster for you to not leech off the guy's unsecured network.

Epic fail.

In your example, it's still THEIR garage. In the OP's case, it's HIS home, his airspace, if you will... their signal passes through his kitchen. He can piggyback it all he wants.

Along the same lines, if we're to follow your logic, we're all criminals if we listen to the song the neighbours are playing on the radio, or if we watch their TV through our living room window...

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson

Originally posted by: Baked
It's an ethics thing. It's like saying if somebody's stupid enough to leave their $4.5K uber mountain bike in their garage w/ the door open and had it stolen, then it's the owner's fault for not locking the garage door. Sure the owner of the router can take 5 minutes to turn on wireless security and disable SSID, but it's even faster for you to not leech off the guy's unsecured network.

Epic fail.

In your example, it's still THEIR garage. In the OP's case, it's HIS home, his airspace, if you will... what passes through his kitchen. He can piggyback it all he wants.

Hardly. The BANDWIDTH exists at the neighbor's house.

Either way, unauthorized use of a signal IS illegal AND unethical, be it encrypted or not. Dozens or even hundreds of signals flow through our houses everyday. From phones, to baby monitors, to sat TV, to wireless networks. NONE are free for you to use without permission of the owner.

Just because you can do a thing does not mean you should. You would not want someone using/abusing your network and bandwidth without your permission, so why would you say it's ok far just that to happen to others?

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Colt45
People raping your wife is the punishment for being to lazy/ignorant to lock the doors.

Fixed.

Just because something is not locked or secured does NOT make it legal nor ethical to take or use without permission of the owner.

Not a single one of you would like someone to use/take/abuse something of yours without your permission. Therefore you have no ethical excuse for doing the same to others.

Now if you PURPOSELY leave your wifi open and invite others to use it, you are giving permission. That does not excuse you assuming that every other open wifi is the same anymore than every unlocked house is open for you to roam.

The golden rule is not ..."as your cynical, excuse making ass would expect others to treat you" ... it's "as you would like them to treat you."

As I mentioned before, it's probably illegal, but I just don't see the big deal if you're just connecting to browse ATOT or do some other low bandwidth activity. It doesn't in any way harm the internet experience of the person who owns the connection. I don't see why people are getting so up in arms about this, leeching WiFi is relatively harmless.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Colt45
People raping your wife is the punishment for being to lazy/ignorant to lock the doors.

Fixed.

Just because something is not locked or secured does NOT make it legal nor ethical to take or use without permission of the owner.

In some instances it is. If your tree hangs over my fence, I can pick fruit from the part hanging into my yard. I regard this situation to be quite analogous to unsecured WiFi.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: AnitaPeterson

Originally posted by: Baked
It's an ethics thing. It's like saying if somebody's stupid enough to leave their $4.5K uber mountain bike in their garage w/ the door open and had it stolen, then it's the owner's fault for not locking the garage door. Sure the owner of the router can take 5 minutes to turn on wireless security and disable SSID, but it's even faster for you to not leech off the guy's unsecured network.

Epic fail.

In your example, it's still THEIR garage. In the OP's case, it's HIS home, his airspace, if you will... what passes through his kitchen. He can piggyback it all he wants.

Just because you can do a thing does not mean you should. You would not want someone using/abusing your network and bandwidth without your permission, so why would you say it's ok far just that to happen to others?

You are right. I would not want someone using/abusing my network so I lock them out, just as I lock my doors on my car, lock up my house at night, provide a safe and secure environment for me and my family. Why do I do that? Because its my personal responsibility to protect my things.

Same with WIFI. Its the provider's personal responsibility to secure their network and if they don't want to do it, thats their choice. I've read the link above and don't agree with it one bit.