why don't folks secure there wi-fi systems instead of sharing them?
550439
Probably because they don't know how.
183741
I think it allows others to hook up onto your network (Internet access) without having to use a password.
543896
Dunno.  I've got a WiFi bridge connected to a wireless router, and I can share any wireless hardware with any other wireless hardware within 300 ft. +/-
1136965
I go to college too, and we have the same connection, however, what some students do is have a wireless router. From what i know, its alright to have one for yourself, but against the rules to distribute the password and share your connection with others. Good luck, i'll just stick with the ethernet connection, and wireless from the school when available.\n\nP.S. my school also has resnet...
1054797
The hotel I work at has a secure connection but I know alot of hotels don't. As far as I am aware, there are not any federal regulations on wireless internet in hotels. The only regulations there could possibly be on it would be by the franchise--you would need to contact the particular corporate headquarters to find out their policies.
20519
Tim - your priorities are in reverse order. Turning off the SSID, while probably a good idea, is not at all secure. You really need to turn on encryption. WEP is better than nothing, but is fairly easy to break. To really make your network secure, you need to use WPA2 encryption (or just WPA if your computer doesn't support WPA2, but WPA2 is better), and, of course, change the default password.\n\nMy own home network has a hidden SSID with WPA2 encryption and a good password.
454374
There are various ways of setting up security on routers, you can change the default password for login, disable the broadcast of the SSID, setup various wireless security, Linksys has very good tech support so call them for assistance or check out their knowledge base as well
524843
People don't see the use of things.  It was never thought that people would want computers in their house, because the applications hadn't been invented.  And plus computers were as big as a house back then, no one realized they would get smaller.  My mom still doesn't think she needs wireless.  A friend doesn't think she needs a cell phone, even though it is getting really hard to find pay phones to stop at.  People can't see the use of things that haven't happened yet.  You never know what will catch on.
77097
Wireless Security exists. \nSecurity can be provided even in the wireless communication through proper encryption.
525140
Currently, there are no federal laws that prohibit anyone from using an unsecured wireless access point, so no, it's not illegal. There ARE, however, laws that prevent various types of unlawful computer activity, like breaking into a computer or using a computer to commit crimes (fraud, kiddy porn, etc), so it's not a carte blanche.
131312
My feeling on this is that while it isn't really ethical, the owner of the wireless network has to take responsibilty for not protecting his network.  As our legal system says, "ignorance is no excuse".  Any wireless router you buy has encryption information as part of the basic setup, and since these are designed for home use, the instructions are pretty simple to figure out.\n\nWhen my wife and stepson were on vacation, our host had a neighbor who left their wireless network unencrypted, and it was no trouble for me to tap right in to their bandwidth.  Considering the name of the network was "default", I'd say no one even bothered reading beyond how to hook it up.  Joke's on them, I'd say, but I would still be cautious about using someone else's service.  My guess would be the phone or cable company might not care too much for it.
121278
It is possible. Most wireless access points or routers can show you what MAC addresses are hooked up, what IPs are leased, etc. It won't tell them who you are, but it could alert them to the access. Of course, if they aren't smart enough to lock up the access point, they probably don't know how to look at the status screens either. However, bear in mind that an open router could also "snoop" on you... so maybe it is open for a reason!
1082759
Lols!  Good Question. \n\nWell Most of the ones who want to use free wireless will first check the ones with no security Code. For example if you are using a SBC 2wire Router, they do give a security code so if your neighbour wants to use your wireless, then he/she needs to type the code. \n\nAnd then try to change the Badwidth and time to time, check who's online, using your control panel came with the router.
1131680
read your instrustion booklet , my son did and he was getting on the internet all over the dang place with his psp. You dont need your own wireless modem, you just need to be near one, anyones, and they dont even have to know.\n\nby the way, thats why they were designed the way they were, so you could use them anywhere. Its not stealing when the waves get sent all over the neighborhood. I know kids who sit outside the library and use theirs cause the library wont let them use it inside, but they cant  stop them from sitting outside and using it. lots of colleges and McDonalds are offering stronger signals so all customers can hook in for free with their psps and portable computers. So, use it without guilt anywere you can find a signal. If the people are so against your picking up the free signals they will lock their signal, and thats their business if they want to do that.
567741
well it depends on what you are connecting to, like most routers have some kind of security like WEP or its encrypted, make sure your wireless card can handle a 125 bit encryption instead of a 64 bit, and configure your access point to urn that on, if you are connecting to an unsecured wireless network like me then you can still log into their router and make sure its encrypted (i don't think that's breaking any laws since they didn't have a password).
3974
This depends entirely upon the system you have, what OS it runs, and whether or not you are using the software included with your device, or those built into your OS.  It also makes a difference whether you are trying to set up an ad-hoc network, or connect to an existing network that may be passworded
190659
First and foremost, you should probably secure your wireless network. WEP is not particularly secure, but will prevent at least casual intruders from gaining access to your network. WPA is a bit more secure. \n\n1. There is no easy way to figure out who is using your wireless network. if someone is using it, the computer will probably be close (300 ft), but if you are really interested, you will need something like a wireless packet sniffer installed to see what kind of traffic is flowing through your network\n\n2. An intruder will be able to see all of your information if do have not secured your network using something like WEP. These days most web sites use HTTPS to encrypt credit cards and passwords (which would mean that the intruder cannot see them), but you should still secure your network.\n\n3. Zone alarm will potentially protect you, but not if it is installed between your DSL / phone line and your wireless access point (remember that if the intruder can get into your wireless network, they can directly connect to your computer). There are a number of changes you can make to minimize the risk of somebody gaining access to your computer (e.g., if you are using windows, don't enable file sharing, make sure the latest patches are installed, etc.), but generally there are always some holes a determined intruder can use to get access to your data. Again, best way to prevent this is to enable wireless security....\n\nMore info:\n\n"Sorta liek creating a decoy unsecured network,tempting an intruder and then monitoring his tracks as to what he'll be upto wid such a network.Will i be able to gain the info of his computer username.So basically, does the intrusion work both ways wen i have created the network.? thanks again. cheers."\n\nYes, and this is called a 'honey trap' system (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=honeytrap+security&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=ytff1-&x=wrt). Using a sniffer, you can try two things (based on his level of sophistication):\n\n1. watch what the intruder does, and hope that by passively observing the traffic, you get some insight about identify, etc.\n\n2. actively try to break into the intruder's system, really doing the same thing to him (though not sure how legal this is)\n\nHope this help...