(no subject)

[rhienelleth]

Question which I'm sure some of you laptop people will have answer to:

When we received our laptops, they were wireless-ready. Having looked online, I know that wireless service is different from dial-up, DSL, and cable, and there are service providers to which you can pay $21.95/month for the privelege of using it. Well, when we turned on the laptops and played with all the icons, our wireless automatically searched and found what it called an "open access" wireless connection in the area, and we were able to go online and surf around for free. Mark also recently attended a conference in Portland, and at his hotel he was able to get online and check his e-mail and the like, also without paying a dime.

This can't be legal, right? But if it isn't, why is it so easy to do? Literally you connect, click on IE and go. Is it supposed to work like this?

Comments

[featherweight.livejournal.com]

heh. I know what you mean. It's really easy to do, but essentially, people who have a wireless signal aren't firewalling it (I believe). Which means that you're stealing a signal. I'm not sure if you're stealing when you're in a hotel, maybe the hotel supplies wireless access? I know at university, anyone can go on for free.

[poohmusings.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if people don't firewall their wifi connection, then you can "steal" it from them. Lots of hotels these days offer free wifi service to their guests, so it's possible Mark got on free at his conference because of that.

[kieyra.livejournal.com]

Having looked online, I know that wireless service is different from dial-up, DSL, and cable, and there are service providers to which you can pay $21.95/month for the privelege of using it.

Actually, all you have to do is buy a wireless router ($50 or so, I think? Maybe a little more) and connect your existing DSL or Cable modem to it. (If you don't already have some sort of broadband, disregard). Your DSL or Cable internet service provider does not charge you extra for this--at least, not ever in my experience--for routing the broadband connection through a home network, be it wired or wireless. WiFi routers also come with a few normal wired LAN ports, too.

Well, when we turned on the laptops and played with all the icons, our wireless automatically searched and found what it called an "open access" wireless connection in the area, and we were able to go online and surf around for free. Mark also recently attended a conference in Portland, and at his hotel he was able to get online and check his e-mail and the like, also without paying a dime.

This can't be legal, right? But if it isn't, why is it so easy to do? Literally you connect, click on IE and go. Is it supposed to work like this?

Heheh. Um. Sorry, I'm having memories of driving around looking for unprotected wireless networks when we accidentally moved into an apartment with no broadband a few years ago. This is called 'wardriving'. (http://www.wardriving.com/)

Okay, but on to your real question:

The problem with these consumer-level wireless routers mentioned above is that in their default configuration they are unencrypted and anyone within range can get on and access your broadband connection and maybe any shared files you have lying around. (I utilized this phenomenon in one of my recent VM fics.) At home, you are probably hitting one of your neighbors' networks. The routers, however, can be easily set up with an encryption key, which you also enter in the wireless setup of each laptop.

There is also the possibility that you live in an urban area that has free WiFi? Orlando and some other big cities have implemented this.

As for the hotel, they probably were providing free WiFi. A lot of hotels do nowadays, or free DSL in the room. Some hotels charge for it, in which case you will be directed to site to pay for the access as soon as you load up your browser.

[kieyra.livejournal.com]

It is also worth noting that many people intentionally leave their WiFi networks open, out of a spirit of open-source/'information wants to be free' kind of technological idealism. I've got at least one friend locally who does, and I know that 'open' WiFi is quite the social movement in some places including Seattle.

[rhienelleth.livejournal.com]

Nice. We'll probably invest in a wireless router, simply because the signal we're tapping into at home is very weak. But how cool is it that you can use the internet for free when you're out and about! Unless the hotel you're staying at charges.

I'm so glad we opted for the wireless option when we bought the laptops. :)

[rhienelleth.livejournal.com]

So is using wireless less secure than any other kind of internet? Say you're in a hotel that provides it free, and you're online. Can anyone else also online access your shared files, etc, or if you have a firewall does that prevent this?