On 28 Jul 2005, The Todal wrote
> "Paul Harper" <paul@harper.net> wrote in message
> news:6i9he1hog3fnnt9lifridsfcdlr7jjj2r9@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 10:08:10 +0100, "The Todal"
>> <deadmailbox@beeb.net> wrote:
>>
>>> I often wondered whether it was legal to do so, having had
>>> neighbours hijack my connection, and having discovered that my
>>> own kids were sometimes inadvertently hijacking a neighbour's
>>> connection.
>>>
>>> Yet another way for law abiding citizens to find themselves in
>>> breach of the law, then
>>
>> I don't have a lot of sympathy - anyone who doesn't put security
>> on their wireless network deserves all they get as far as I am
>> concerned.
>
> Agreed. I now use security on my home wireless broadband. It does
> unfortunately mean that when my kids are trying to connect, their
> computers connect them to the neighbour's service and seemingly I
> can't prevent that. Or at least, if there is a way I'd like to
> know it.

Have you mentioned it to your neighbour, in case he's unaware of
people using his unsecured network, or unaware that it should be
secured? (Or is he likely to punch you out rather than thank you?)

FWIW, I set up a laptop for my sister-in-law this past spring which,
out of the box, was set up to search for networks. It picked up 5,
exactly *none* of which were secured. 4 of them were wireless Internet
connections, but one of them was an unsecured wireless LAN for the
local branch of Deloitte & Co -- the accountants/whatever firm.

I wasn't surprised to see the home networks, but an unsecured company
LAN?

--
Cheers,
Harvey