kittycat1

Hi all,

Right i have been hijacking mr neighbours internet since I moved into my apartment, as don't have a telly yet and havent had the time to sort out a Du account. Anyway I'm getting a little frustrated that he keeps switching it off when I'm trying to use it- and I know the easy solution would be to get my own connection but that will take a while.

So I was thinking I'd be happy to deliver boxes of chocs/ bottles of booze with a note saying thank you for the open wifi and please leave your internet on 24/7 and I'll love you forever- but have so many apartments around me how do I work out whos internet I'm using. Anyone know how far a wifi signal will carry? am i talking about direct neighbours or could it be coming from several floors above/below me? If you received a note saying this would you do as requested or just think cheeky bitch and switch it off even more?

I think everyone should leave there connections on and unlocked- free internet for everyone I say (apart from the people that actually pay for it)!

xxx

benzonar

Hijacking is surely just another word for stealing.

Hello.Kitty

I agree... some poor sod is paying the extortionate Du rate to get it.... not only that, but by having several people using it, it'll also be affecting his internet speed.

Totally aside from that, no, essentially there's little way for you or I to know who's responsible for any given unsecured network, unless the person has named it "Joe Bloggs' Network". Having unsecured personal internet networks is pretty dim anyway, cos you open yourself to anyone getting hold of it and most importantly, accessing your computer/internet accounts through it.

Completely aside from all of the above, if you wanted a cheaper option to the extortionate Du account and got on well with you neighbours, why not ask them if you can pay towards their bill in exchange for using their account. It'd be wise to get them to secure their network too (and give you the password).

Unsecured networks are a world of trouble.

kittycat1

seriously- does noone else do this?

I've always left my internet connection open- I'm sure I read somewhere once that by 2015 if everyone in the world unlocked their interent everyone would have access to a connection. I've always left my internet unlocked as think screw the suppliers, in my world if you are leaving your line unlocked you share the same outlook? Perhaps I am just dim.....

KC

Hello.Kitty

hehe - I'd so love to screw the suppliers, but it doesn't quite work like that, cos more often than not, they regulate the speed.

You must have seen that almost all of them bill their speeds as "up to" X Mb? That's cos it depends how many users are using the connection at any one time. The more users, the slower it is. On a smaller scale, if Mr Bloggs has paid his good money for a lovely fast connection but has 9 other people using his connection without him knowing, then the speed slows - and his "internet experience" suffers. For those who just use it to troll Facebook and forums, that doesn't matter really, but for those who are downloading stuff, it does... maybe even extending the download time by hours.

Here in the UAE the basic Du package for telecoms costs the best part of £80/ month for 2 Mb internet, and I'd be bloomin' miffed if I was only getting a fraction of that speed.

Not only that, but by securing your network, you add another barrier between yourself and those who would happily log your account details or send you viruses. Anyone with the right software can intercept the information you send out through an unsecured network. I got a couple of my passwords logged from a hotel's unsecured network when I first arrived here and it took a week to check and resolve everything.

But, as you say, maybe those who do keep theirs unlocked are spreading the love, so to speak... which comes back round to "there's nothing you can do"...

Besides, isn't it a bit like looking a gift horse int he mouth to say "oo, love the free connection, but please could you leave it on all the time, cos I find it rather inconvenient when you switch it off early"

Jeeper

I would eat the chocs, drink the booze and then secure my internet con.

Jim Smith

[QUOTE=kittycat1;8098336]Hi all,

Right i have been hijacking mr neighbours internet since I moved into my apartment, as don't have a telly yet and havent had the time to sort out a Du account. Anyway I'm getting a little frustrated that he keeps switching it off when I'm trying to use it- and I know the easy solution would be to get my own connection but that will take a while.

Get on down to the mall or somewhere that offers free access if you buy a cup of coffee!

Router range depends upon many things like thickness of wall and distance. My neighbout has an unprotected router, but unuseable signal strength from about 15 metres due to two or three thick walls. And before anyone jumps on me, no i didnt use it, but he has called it "Ricky" which happens to be his name! So thats how I know it is his.............

shakh your bootie

Oh, abso - I haven't paid an ISP for years.

In any case, my belief is that the current business model of ISP's will be extremely short-lived - as mobile, location-aware personal devices continue to evolve then people will become used to having seamless connectivity wherever they go at higher bandwidths. As time goes on, mobile connectivity will become so pervasive that governance of healthcare, education, taxation and more will become embedded in the digital infrastructure - and 24-7 connectivity will become the norm. Already we are seeing the establishment of seamless wi-fi access in places from Singapore to Westminster to Milton (bleedin') Keynes. Admittedly, not all of these offer free access, but only this week Google, Yahoo and Microsoft both made bids to win market share by variously offering free wi-fi access to users in airports and certain airlines if they used their platform.

Personally, I'm a bit of a socialist-hippy liberal and believe that free wi-fi for all is a better thing to spend my tax on than bailing out a bunch of bankers who won't give me a mortgage - but even in the absence of such utopian dreams, I think free internet will come because the corporate world will realize that there is more money to be had in marketing and selling content than there is in a lousy $30/month subscription.

seven seas

There are issues related to what people do while they are on your connection- accessing all kinds of nasty/illegal (the two are not synonymous) content.

While you may not end up being held liable for another person's internet usage, it could mean an unpleasant trip through the legal system till you are proven not guilty.

Would you trust your neighbours not to be tunnelling through a PTP and downloading porn, for example?

Mischief Queen

Are you downloading? I think it's fine for surfing etc, as long as you're not downloading... A friend of mine had their wi-fi connection hijacked and had a set download limit which the hijacker had gone waaay over and she ended up getting billed over 10k AED.... her own fault for not setting a password, but even so.

I think it would be a bit cheeky asking someone to leave their wi-fi open for you unless you're planning to offer to contribute to the cost of it. Especially as you've been using it for a while without permission already. Why not just get your own? Mine was done in a couple of days.... alternatively you can get dongles now for wireless access which is instant - so no waiting around for installation if you're that impatient!

kittycat1

No downloading just doing my emails, facebook and a bit of skype. I do intend on getting my own but just haven't had a chance as been working stupid hours since being here- waiting for the workload to subside before organising my life- also a bit on the skint side as paying double rent at the mo- paying back my comany cheque and saving for my cheque to go out so not had much spare cash yet- no excuse I know! feeling decidely guilty for being a thieving scumbag now!

must say Im surprised that so many people are so anti - thought it was much more common practice- maybe i just mix with other scumbags....

PS what the hell is a dongle?

Norm_uk

Would you mind if he pops round and helps himself to food in your fridge?

N.

kittycat1

Not at all- although not sure what he'd make of blue cheese and skimmed milk- hardly a banquet!

Eva

What if he's Pete Townsend?

kaz lou abu dhabi

We used our neighbours when we first moved here for a week or so, but only very briefly to check e-Mails - felt too guilty! we couldnt wait to get our own account so we could get Skype set up - it is illegal here.