Open Thread: Do You Use Other’s Wi-Fi?
February 25th, 2008 (2:00pm) Jason Harris 14 Comments
We’ve all been tempted to do it. Here’s the familiar situation: having a few spare minutes, you open up your laptop to do some work, then you’d like to get online. So you look at the list of available Wi-Fi hotspots and you see an open one think, “I wonder if I could just quickly send this email off?”
Using other’s Wi-Fi is a common occurrence, according to the Register. Some Internet enthusiasts feel you’re doing humanity a favor by leaving your home wireless connection open for passers-by to use. However security experts and opponents of this practice warn against subjecting yourself to legal troubles if a stranger uses your Internet connection for illicit activity. In some instances, people have been arrested for utilizing Wi-Fi that wasn’t theirs.
What are your thoughts? Is it ethical to steal Wi-Fi? Do you leave your wireless connection unlocked for anyone to use?
(photo credit: Flickr user dana~2)
14 Comments Post your own comment
Andrew Flusche says: February 25th, 2008 2:17pm
Unencrypted wi-fi is like an apple tree hanging over a quiet country road: have an apple, but only one. Don’t download movies, but sending an email or checking your latest RSS feeds isn’t going to hurt anyone. Heck, they’re the ones broadcasting the signal to you!
codyrioux says: February 25th, 2008 2:34pm
I agree completely with Andrew. I didn’t have an internet connection over the xmas holidays, but my neighbour had a wireless connection that I was piggybacking on.
I’m sure they didn’t intend to leave it open, but I was respectful and didn’t do anything bandwidth heavy, I’m sure they didn’t even notice me there. If you’re usage is so little as to go unnoticed, then I see no harm.
tinfoil says: February 25th, 2008 2:45pm
I don’t consider using somebody’s unencrypted wifi to be “stealing”. They are broadcasting their wireless signal outside of their house and into mine without my permission. Should I accuse them of trespassing? It’s even more personal then that - their radio signal is PENETRATING my body! Help help!
Terrence says: February 25th, 2008 2:51pm
If you find free wi-fi it’s yours for the using. Some people intentionally leave theirs open. Definitely use it responsibly. A couple of quick emails or an IM is cool. Hogging the bandwidth is plain rude.
Like everything, there are plenty of bad apples out there, so be wary operating or using an unsecured network.
mark says: February 25th, 2008 2:54pm
Me three. If I need a connection and there’s unsecured wifi available, I’ll happily borrow it for low bandwidth usage like emails etc, but make sure my torrents are turned off and avoid youtube etc so as not to max-out their bandwidth.
At the same time, I have my own wifi secured because I don’t expect others to be as considerate, but if I could password protect access to torrent ports etc I’d leave the rest open.
LG says: February 25th, 2008 5:10pm
I live in a pretty busy area with quite a few cafes within near-line-of-sight. I have an AP set up with open access (good for finicky devices like my HP rx3115 PDA), running Nocat. It just displays a splash screen when you start that says “Hey, this is my home Internet connection. I have a 20gig limit, don’t abuse it”. I’ve got session speed capped to 224kbits and I’ve never had a problem. One person did start trying to download hundreds of megabytes of podcasts all at once, but I’m willing to put that down to user error.
In short, open your Wifi for the good of humanity. Use others if they make it available
LJ says: February 25th, 2008 6:09pm
I try to warn people if they have unsecured Wifi. Like the neighbors who set up a network and put their teenage daughters’ names on it.
At my mother’s house last fall, I was able to tell three people about their unsecured connections and how to lock them down. There were two others, and when we had Mom’s computer in pieces and I needed software, and I couldn’t contact the owners I knew about for permission, I hopped on one of the unsecured and downloaded a quick driver. I could have done the same thing driving a mile down the road to a public hotspot. But it was convenient, and if I couldn’t find them to ask permission, was that my fault? I would never abuse it, but for one quick thing, it was the way to go.
nefesco says: February 25th, 2008 10:23pm
I don’t think it’s *steal*, since the owner can still use and have full control over his wifi.
Back in Malaysia, our broadband is so slow you cant do much other than minor surfing and downloading small files when wifi. So it’s ok to let others use your unsecured wifi - that is, if they can connect it :P
Lasse Rintakumpu says: February 25th, 2008 11:20pm
If absolutely necessary. Usually I just opt for 3G over Bluetooth.
There is a point that it’s not actually stealing, but when I find an open network I’m usually certain that its owner is ignorant, not generous.
And this makes me feel a little bit guilty when piggybacking (unless the WiFi is labeled “Please use this”, “My open WLAN” or something similar).
Lasse Rintakumpu says: February 25th, 2008 11:21pm
Besides, the larger cities in Finland are saturated with actual free WiFis. You really really don’t even have to piggyback.
Servaas says: February 26th, 2008 12:32am
Isn’t this a call for the social factor you see now in different places? Bands publishing their music with optional payment, making more money than ever. Donationware, counting on the goodwill of part of us to pay for what we use. I am certainly not against open WIFI. And what about Fon.com? I have a Fon router setup for public use at home, the bandwith limited of course.
Darren says: February 28th, 2008 2:58pm
Yes, security experts like Bruce Schneier… wait, he leaves his access point open.
Regardless of whether you choose to lock down your AP, No wifi is perfectly secure — secure your hosts as if your network were open.
Then, be a pal and open your network - I do, and I’ve had neighbors buy me coffee when they were able to use my ‘net access to troubleshoot theirs!
Karla says: February 28th, 2008 5:26pm
I’ve done that–use another’s Wi-Fi. I live near a university, and for a month or two, I actually survived on its free Wi-Fi. I don’t know what happened but all of a sudden, I discovered I couldn’t connect anymore and I panicked because of all the online projects I had to continue working on.
Anyhow, I did get my own connection, and nowadays, even if I catch an open Wi-Fi, I stop myself from connecting because of the security risks. Am a good girl now:)
But I can tell you: a friend who was based in China for two years actually lived on someone else’s Wi-Fi for almost a year!
DC says: April 30th, 2008 11:28am
to me, if the owner did not want you to mooch off of his/hers connection, then he/she could always lock it down. if it’s open, then it’s fair game.
just dont abuse it.