Wi-Fi Cautions
Posted on April 19th, 2007 by Tim Almond
via the BBC…
Two people have been cautioned for using people’s wi-fi broadband internet connections without permission. Neighbours in Redditch, Worcestershire, contacted police on Saturday after seeing a man inside a car using a laptop while parked outside a house.
Apart from using someone’s property in a way that you’re not supposed to, this is just really sleazy. Sat in your car with a laptop using someone’s home wifi?
Go and find a network that’s available, or use a library. A BT Openzone subscription starts from a tenner a month. Heck there are even some pubs and cafes that give it away with your americano.
If you haven’t secured your wireless network, it’s not too difficult. Dig out the instruction manual for your router and do it.
RSS
Excuse me for asking, Tim but what’s the point of technology which can be accessed by people parking near your home?
James,
That’s not really the point of it.
The point of it is to allow you to network without cables which saves a whole lot of hassle. However, the downside is that the range typically allows someone outside your house (or your neighbours) to see your network.
It’s why it’s important to secure your wireless network to prevent intrusion. I can’t remember which manufacturer it is, but one of them I heard secures the box by default with a random password, so that you don’t have to do anything to set up the password, but you can overwrite it with your own.