Geocaching with a laptop

[4wheelin_fool]

I was wondering about people that go geocaching with a laptop. These days you can just drive around until you find a unsecured signal, and then you can park and get on the web in seconds. Flip open the $400 computer and without any web provider subscription, you can get access.

 

Log a find from a parking area, or from the cache itself, minutes after you find it.

 

If I decide to do this, what hazards (if any) ae there? I'm not about to send credit card info, but what about logging into my e-mail? Will someone see the password?

 

If I pull into a residential development and get a signal which has no password for access, could someone get upset over this?

 

Just curious what I should be aware of.

 

With an AC adapter, you could just keep the laptop in the car and go caching 24/7 and just put on some deodorant every few hours... anyone do this?

[+ridilen]

Personally I have no problem doing this. I leave mine open because I have several devices which I use all the time. I understand there are some dangers, but nothing on my computer is so sensitive that I have to keep it all private. I still do run a firewalll. I say if it is left open, use it.

 

Another good place to try are hotels or Williams Coffee Pub's here in Canada. Quite often the WIFI is open for all.

 

One can always disable the broadcast of their WIFI name if they wish and still keep it open.

 

Broadcast it and they will come.

 

Ridilen

[+private bones]

If I decide to do this, what hazards (if any) ae there?

 

Smash n' grab. This may not be exactly the kind of hazard you have in mind but depending on where you are caching, it could be a problem. If you are just referring to quick drive up caches, no big deal. But if it requires a hike, are you okay with leaving your laptop in the car? Around here, we've seen an increase of smash and grabs in the parking areas of regional parks, state parks etc.

 

If that is not a problem for you, then go for it. When I'm doing overnight travel with a laptop I'm always happy to access cafe wifi, city wifi w/public access, or whatever else is left open.

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

I was wondering about people that go geocaching with a laptop. These days you can just drive around until you find a unsecured signal, and then you can park and get on the web in seconds. Flip open the $400 computer and without any web provider subscription, you can get access.

 

Log a find from a parking area, or from the cache itself, minutes after you find it.

 

If I decide to do this, what hazards (if any) are there? I'm not about to send credit card info, but what about logging into my e-mail? Will someone see the password?

 

If I pull into a residential development and get a signal which has no password for access, could someone get upset over this?

 

Just curious what I should be aware of.

 

With an AC adapter, you could just keep the laptop in the car and go caching 24/7 and just put on some deodorant every few hours... anyone do this?

 

Never!

 

who needs deodorant?

[+tabulator32]

Although I would not advocate leaving your wifi network unsecure, there are plenty of hotels and coffee shops around my neck of the woods that have free wifi access for their customers (and anyone within 50 to a couple hundred feet, depending on the business).

 

I have searched and then logged several caches thanks to the local community wifi available at out friendly neighborhood businesses. Don't forget to return the favor and shop the stores and services which provide such a fantastic benefit!

[+Isonzo Karst]

There are also fast food places (What a Burger) in my area with WI FI and Starbucks usually Many many hotels.

 

Smash and grab - yep - I lost a power converter that way parked out on a dirt road in a state forest. Not a lot of fun to come back to the vehicle and find the driver's side window smashed. They must have been run off by someone, because the real value was in the trunk (tools), and they didn't get to it

[+PJPeters]

You can't in Michigan. It's against the law.

Besides the smash and grab (which I'd be more afraid of), there's also potential legal ramifications. In Michigan, it's a 5 year, $10,000 felony.

[+Team Cotati]

"If I pull into a residential development and get a signal which has no password for access, could someone get upset over this?"

 

How is it that someone knows what you are doing in the first place? Seeing someone in a parked vehicle with a laptop in the year 2007 would hardly be noteworthy.

 

Other than the general interest that home owners mght have wrt 'strange' vehicles parked in the hood, this I believe in practical terms, is a non-issue. You're more likely to viewed as a potential pedophile or worse, an insurance salesman.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

It's called "wardriving" and in most locations there are no laws for or against the practice.

 

Really what you are doing is using a portion of someone's bandwidth which in most cases is as harmless as "using" some of the air on their property. Is someone going to complain that you stood on their front porch and used their air? Maybe they would if you stood there long enough or didn't move on when asked. Same goes for using their wifi. As long as you aren't using so much bandwidth that it degrades the performance of their computer system you're probably ok (don't go playing WoW while parked out there or some other bandwidth-intensive game). Just don't try to hack into their system and they may never notice.

 

Wardrivers generally get "caught" because someone sees them driving slow around a neighborhood (while they are looking for a signal), loitering in front of someone's house, etc. They seem suspicious to some people, so the police are called. The "crime" isn't about borrowing wifi (or stealing as the media will say) but is about being somewhere they shouldn't, even if it is a public street.

 

Coffee shops and other business that offer free wifi generally do it for their customers. You are free to sit and use their wifi if you are a customer, but they have every right to keep you from using their premesis including their bandwidth if they want to. It's hard to say it is a crime to borrow their signal since there is no damage to the business or its customers. It's a lot like asking for a cup of water - they'll give it to you for free and even let you sit like a paying customer until the point that they feel you are abusing the priviledge and are taking space away from paying customers (and their employee's time).

[+baloo&bd]

What few laws that are written are done so poorly and do not apply to WiFi even though they may think they do. They are written in such a way as to prevent "access" to the system. Splitting hairs, as lawyers do, you would not be unless you access the files of one of the users. Even then, most PTB would not pursue it unless damges occurred Having said that, you have to decide if you want the potential hassle, no matter how small the chance.

 

I travel with a laptop in my vehicle, for some time now. It used to be strictly for pleasure but now I use it for work. I had my 60CS hooked up via bluetooth and used nRoute for tracking and caching, but recently started using Microsoft Streets and Trips with their GPS puck. Not as nice and not wireless, but suffer through it for the convenience.

 

Logging something that quick has never been an issue and I guess if I was in a rush, I could use my Treo with http://geocaching.com/wap. Panera Bread offers free WiFi as do many other restaurants, at least in my area. McD's in many areas offer free WiFi (I am not that lucky) and I have noticed that more and more towns are offering free WiFi, some surprisingly small rural towns I have stumbled upon. If you are really worried about the legality, almost all but the smallest libraries offer free WiFi now and since I am among the involuntary taxpayers, have no problem using those systems.

 

If you watch the software that comes with your WiFi set up or run NetStumbler, you will find so many free and legitimate networks in many areas you drive trough that this does not really become an issue. Or you could sign up for one of the Wide Area networks, like Verizon offers, and not have to worry about finding a spot, just know the coverage area.

 

As to the theft issue, mine is mounted using a RAM Universal Laptop mount that allows me to easily remove it. For the times I am lazy, I put a rider on my insurance to cover contents.

 

On a side note, I grounded one of my sons from the internet. I shut off his access at the router as well as the firewall. I happened to be sitting at my computer one night and noticed he was not logged onto the (internal) network, however I knew he was doing a paper for school. Further investigation I found him logged into the neighbors computer. Apparently I was not the only one that knew I live in a subdivision of luddites. Guess the apple does not fall far from the tree.

[+tabulator32]

What's funny is...you can go to Microcenter or Frye's or Office Depot and buy one of those keychains that detect unprotected WiFi signals.

 

There MUST be a use for those things. I guess to test your own system, right?

[+denden9]

My Brother and I carry our laptops in car . But keep them locked up in trunk only get them out when need to check Streets and trip and to check for caches if we move to another area caching . As far a getting Wi-Fi we doing stay on line for no more than five min where ever we pick it up .

Edited December 8, 2007 by denden9

[+Team GeoBlast]

I was wondering about people that go geocaching with a laptop. These days you can just drive around until you find a unsecured signal, and then you can park and get on the web in seconds. Flip open the $400 computer and without any web provider subscription, you can get access.

 

Log a find from a parking area, or from the cache itself, minutes after you find it.

 

If I decide to do this, what hazards (if any) ae there? I'm not about to send credit card info, but what about logging into my e-mail? Will someone see the password?

 

If I pull into a residential development and get a signal which has no password for access, could someone get upset over this?

 

Just curious what I should be aware of.

 

With an AC adapter, you could just keep the laptop in the car and go caching 24/7 and just put on some deodorant every few hours... anyone do this?

 

The likelihood of someone intercepting what you transmitting is much higher than them seeing what is on your hard drive. This is because it requires very little computer knowledge and can be done with one freely available program. So as long as you not camping on the signal or doing your online banking, the risk is low of someone viewing what is on your hard drive.

 

This is just me but with the exception of a FTF and letting folks know that it's been found, the last thing I want to do is bust open my computer. I want to go find another cache. If you want to access the internet on the fly, there are mobile devices that designed for this function. They are a lot less cumbersome and cheaper too. If you don't need to access the internet immediately, you can get a Palm for about 20.00 on eBay and you can load thousands of caches in there. You can mark them as found a enter notes to remember what you wanted to say about the cache.

Edited December 8, 2007 by Team GeoBlast

[+Miragee]

When I traveled between California and Colorado a few times last year, I had my laptop with me. I found many WiFi Hotspots at little coffee shops, and even at a Second Hand Store. In Salida, a police officer told me I could use a signal from motels on Hwy 50. That surprised me, because I thought that was illegal. However, I did use the WiFi at a Days Inn. In my experience, that was best motel for acquiring a signal.

 

I only used the signal to update my Pocket Queries for the area I was traveling towards and log any travelers I picked up along the way. Using GSAK, I put the cache info into my Palm and GPSr, so I didn't need to get the laptop out very often.

[+Viajero Perdido]

Smash-and-grab isn't an issue if your "laptop" is tiny enough to fit in your pocket. Just take it along.

 

 

On a recent trip I was "war-walking" a town looking for open WiFi, so I could email the owner of the only local cache to see if he's had a chance to fix it up yet, so I could FTF it. Long story, but even in Mexico there's more WiFi than you might expect.

[+Harriet the Spy]

Yesterday I was Waymarking near Pike Place market, I saw this bumper sticker and it made me laugh

 

[+Cache Liberation Front]

Smash-and-grab isn't an issue if your "laptop" is tiny enough to fit in your pocket. Just take it along.

 

 

On a recent trip I was "war-walking" a town looking for open WiFi, so I could email the owner of the only local cache to see if he's had a chance to fix it up yet, so I could FTF it. Long story, but even in Mexico there's more WiFi than you might expect.

 

A ) What do you think of the Nokia tablets? I've been thinking of getting one for geocaching in urban areas.

B ) The picture on the screen of the tablet is too funny!

 

MrW.

[+Viajero Perdido]

A ) What do you think of the Nokia tablets? I've been thinking of getting one for geocaching in urban areas.

I love it. It does web (nicely on an 800x480 screen), email, MP3s, Skype, and lets me review my newly-shot digital pictures on a larger screen - all of which I do while travelling. It also tunes FM radio, has a pop-out camera for video-IM, and probably a few other features that I haven't taken advantage of yet.

 

The current models come with the Opera browser, but I've been using the beta version of MicroB, the Mozilla-based browser. Think "Pocket Firefox". The latter works pretty well, except it crashes frequently on Google Reader and GMail (the full version), both of which are torture tests for any web browser. Thank goodness for GMail's mobile version; it's less JavaScript-heavy, so it makes a great backup. GC.com renders pretty well - with some glitches - on MicroB. (That screenshot must've been when I went to a competing website...)

 

I figure, why carry a big laptop? Other than not running GSAK or Google Earth, the teeny Nokia does everything I need. (I did need a pair of stronger reading glasses for that tiny screen, though.)

Edited December 8, 2007 by Viajero Perdido

[+Cache Liberation Front]

A ) What do you think of the Nokia tablets? I've been thinking of getting one for geocaching in urban areas.

I love it. It does web (nicely on an 800x480 screen), email, MP3s, Skype, and lets me review my newly-shot digital pictures on a larger screen - all of which I do while travelling. It also tunes FM radio, has a pop-out camera for video-IM, and probably a few other features that I haven't taken advantage of yet.

 

The current models come with the Opera browser, but I've been using the beta version of MicroB, the Mozilla-based browser. Think "Pocket Firefox". The latter works pretty well, except it crashes frequently on Google Reader and GMail (the full version), both of which are torture tests for any web browser. Thank goodness for GMail's mobile version; it's less JavaScript-heavy, so it makes a great backup. GC.com renders pretty well - with some glitches - on MicroB. (That screenshot must've been when I went to a competing website...)

 

I figure, why carry a big laptop? Other than not running GSAK or Google Earth, the teeny Nokia does everything I need. (I did need a pair of stronger reading glasses for that tiny screen, though.)

 

Outstanding info, thanks! I've been eying the 800 model, but the 810 is the latest and greatest, n'est-ce pas? I'm a big fan of both Opera and Mozilla, I figure one of them should execute geocaching.com and gmail.com w/o too many problems.

 

Best,

Mr W.

[+Team Cotati]

Holiday Inn Express has the best WiFi, hands down. Second would be Courtyard by Marriott.

[+Confucius' Cat]

I've always been curious about how often the hotels change their access passwords.

 

I seldom stay in the same one twice in a reasonable amount of time so I can't tell.

 

So far, all the hotels I've stayed in which have WIFI have needed a password to access anything other than the hotel's ads. Some have the GALL to charge for the service!

 

I use the Q when I am staying at one of those kind (and mark that little bit of trivia on my "list" for the next time I need to stay in that area,)

 

Basically, war driving sounds like fun, but having your own connection is a lot more sensible- especially if somebody else pays the bill.

[+LeoGeo]

I've always been curious about how often the hotels change their access passwords.

 

 

I was in a Hampton Inn that seemed to change it every five days or so.

[saw-saw]

just sort of answerered this on a different thread.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;#entry3195601

 

GPS, Etrex Legend CX with 2 gb

 

Maps, City Navigator North America V7

 

Paperless, HP Pavilion laptop computer: We open all the Caches we are looking for in Internet Explorer, the tab version. We leave the computer in the car and look at the hints before we begin each Cache. When we return home we just sign on to Geocaching. com in the first tab and hit refresh on the other tabs and log our finds. We will soon have AT&T high speed Internet and we will be able to sign on at McDonald's and other hot spots, this will be great for when we find ourselves near a cache we did not open a page for.

 

Software, Easy GPS

[FrogBlaster77]

Yeah, those unsecured Wifi spots are all over the place. There's even three in my room. (Thanks to all my neighbors!) I never thought about it, but caching with a laptop would be great if you're at the location and you can't find the cache, so you just pull up the cache page and look at the hint!

[+Confucius' Cat]

Yeah, those unsecured Wifi spots are all over the place. There's even three in my room. (Thanks to all my neighbors!) I never thought about it, but caching with a laptop would be great if you're at the location and you can't find the cache, so you just pull up the cache page and look at the hint!

Yeah, fine for urbans, but you won't find too many unsecured WIFIs near substantial park lands. Having your own wireless (cellular type) connecting device is great for those, but still marginal or out of cellular range in a lot of cases.

[+tabulator32]

I remember reading news stories months ago about little towns and even a county somewhere that was setting up various types of wifi that would cover the whole town or county. Like their own WAN or something but residents would be able to go anywhere in the town (and even spots beyond the edge of town) and get access. It was to paid for by local taxes and some of them were up and running.

 

I thought it was a great idea that would take off in communities all over.

 

Anyone here of any success in this area?

[+jtbrady01]

I stayed at a Hilton in downtown Indy Friday night. They had free WiFii in the lobby but you had to pay $9.00 per day for access in your room. This was a 3 star hotel. I just plugged in my broadband card which gave me a better connection anyway.

[+Sparrowhawk]

If I decide to do this, what hazards (if any) ae there? I'm not about to send credit card info, but what about logging into my e-mail? Will someone see the password?

 

One interesting hazard would be some nefarious type logging all the traffic that goes thru their "free" unsecured access point (AP) - and capturing all your passwords. Also, anyone sitting nearby can "sniff" (electronically monitor) the traffic between you and the AP and capture your info that way as well.

 

The best way to protect yourself is to make darn sure that your passwords are different for every account you have. A common trick for computer criminals is to capture your password for your email, then assume (most often rightly) that this is the same password for your Paypal account, your bank account, etc. and then clean you out.

 

Thems the hazards... now you know.

[+FamilyDNA]

"If I pull into a residential development and get a signal which has no password for access, could someone get upset over this?"

 

How is it that someone knows what you are doing in the first place? Seeing someone in a parked vehicle with a laptop in the year 2007 would hardly be noteworthy.

 

Other than the general interest that home owners mght have wrt 'strange' vehicles parked in the hood, this I believe in practical terms, is a non-issue. You're more likely to viewed as a potential pedophile or worse, an insurance salesman.

When we moved, we didn't set up the pass key to our wireless at the new place right away. A couple of nights in a row, my husband noticed someone with a laptop parked in front of our house. He promptly unplugged the router for the night. We secured the wireless after that.

[+KG1960]

There are several free, legitimate WiFi's around here. Most coffee shops, some McD's, book stores, etc. I somewhat often go to Springfield, IL on business and have stayed often at a Holiday Inn Express with free WiFi and no password. Right next door is a Crown Plaza and I have stayed there. Both are owned by same owner and both, in my case, give the same government rate, but Crown Plaza charges $9 a day for their WiFi access. I just went over to the lobby in the H.I. ex. and sat in their lobby. No one asked what I was doing. Other times I have stayed in Comfort Inns - some had no password and others seem to use the room number as the username and their zip code as the password.

 

Last spring when I was visiting my mother in Chicago (she's in a single family house neighborhood), I turned on my laptop just out of curiosity to see what WiFi's might be around. It found three and one was unsecured. I used it to check emails and check GC.com, but don't use WiFi for sensitive items.

 

I don't really see any problems with using, briefly, an unsecured wifi, of course, as long as you aren't trying to steal stuff off someone else's computer.

[+theosus]

Laws vary by state on this....but the federal law is the same everywhere. If you dont have permission, legally, you cant access another network without permission. Thats where the hair-splitting comes in. does an open network imply permission???? according to my states attorney general, no, it does not, no more than leaving your front door open implies anyone can walk in your house. the attorney generals office said that yes, people should secure the wierless if they dont want people using it, but their job is to "protect the stupid people". their actual words, not mine.

someone not smart enough to secure their wireless probably isnt going to notice you unless you are sitting in front of the house. bad idea anyway. suburban people are skittish. but if you are sitting in a parking lot in an urban area...big difference. Even if you just whip into a burger joint with free wifi, its better than cruising neighborhoods.

Going paperless is a whole lot better than worrying about the legalities of wardriving. I have all the caches within 100 miles of my house on my PDA, including full descriptions, hints, and the last 7 logs. No need to pull up a cahce page when everything is with you. I ordered a cable to plug the GPS directly into it, so it will know which ones Im closest too. All without risking my laptop driving around. Plus my pda plays movies, mp3s, games, and all the normal PDA stuff like calendars and word docs, etc. and i wrote off its purchase as a work expense.

[+private bones]

I remember reading news stories months ago about little towns and even a county somewhere that was setting up various types of wifi that would cover the whole town or county. Like their own WAN or something but residents would be able to go anywhere in the town (and even spots beyond the edge of town) and get access. It was to paid for by local taxes and some of them were up and running.

 

I thought it was a great idea that would take off in communities all over.

 

Anyone here of any success in this area?

 

Pacifica, CA

"City wide Wi-Fi for the residents, businesses, and visitors of Pacifica, California"

 

I used it last time I was there, it was great!

[+tabulator32]

Good lord!

 

A Northern California town on the beach with city-wide wifi?!

 

I want to retire there one day!

 

I hope they have lots of caches!

 

[+robert]

Yeah, those unsecured Wifi spots are all over the place. There's even three in my room. (Thanks to all my neighbors!) I never thought about it, but caching with a laptop would be great if you're at the location and you can't find the cache, so you just pull up the cache page and look at the hint!

That's what a PDA is for. An inexpensive Palm device with CacheMate and you can do that all day long.

 

I've never taken my laptop (now just about dead) to find wi-fi hot spots, I don't have the need (because of my answer above). I have used my iPhone while sitting in a parking lot waiting for someone. It asks if you want to join a network, and I tapped one while trying to tap something else when the prompt came up between taps. I was there for maybe another minute before driving away and dropping the network.

 

Edited December 10, 2007 by robert

[+Team Cotati]

I've heard that some U.S. airports have free wireless access. Does anyone know of any?

 

How about airports in other countries?

[+wimseyguy]

Never!

 

..well at least not since last Friday!

 

and then on Thursday before that....

 

Friday was in downtown New Orleans, which claims to have a free wifi for visitors to the CBD, French Quarter, and Warehouse District. I couldn't get the signal in our hotel, but had no trouble a block away. WHat really really irks me is that the budget motel lines are all providing free access, and the downtown business/vacation traveler hotels are charging up to $15/day for access. Bastards!

 

Thursday was during my layover in the Orlando airport. They offer it for free and even had handy counters with 110V and USB power ports all over

[+admo1972]

I've heard that some U.S. airports have free wireless access. Does anyone know of any?

 

How about airports in other countries?

 

For US airports, it varies from airport to airport. IIRC, Newark airport in NJ had limited wifi, you can access a news page, some flight info, but total access to the internet required paying by credit card. Asheville, NC airport had open, free wi-fi.

[+Viajero Perdido]

How about airports in other countries?

The Edmonton Int'l Airport has free WiFi in the departure lounge; I think that's on purpose as a free service.

 

Montreal, ditto.

 

Mexico City Int'l Airport has tons of access points, more than I've ever seen, some open and some not. (But from the cafeteria chairs, none that were quite close enough.)

 

The best place to sit in an airport is right outside the frequent-flier lounge of your airline. Or at least within WiFi range of it...

Edited December 10, 2007 by Viajero Perdido

[+Photographer Jim]

I usually go on a long photography trip each spring, but I always combine some out-of-state caching in the trip. I carry my laptop with me and log finds in the evening using the WiFi network provided in the KOA campgrounds where I often stay, or I'll use the one provided in a motel on those nights when I don't feel like roughing it so much. I can run a quick query in the evening for caches along the route I plan on taking the next day.

 

Sometimes I will pull into a hotel parking lot (Best Westerns or Days Inn, usually) during the day and capture their signal in order to check the mission for a TB or coin that I may have picked up. I certainly don't want to carry a TB back to California if it originated here and is actually headed to the east coast. I may also do this if I find myself in an area that I hadn't queried the night before and have some extra caching time. I can usually find a few caches, download the files, and be on my way in just a few minutes.

 

So far I have had no problems doing this.

[+Jeep_Dog]

I cache with my laptop quite often.

 

Smash and grab is a concern, so I lock up the laptop when I leave the car.

 

As far as WIFI goes, I am shocked MI has laws preventing this. How archaic! If someone that has WIFI wants to secure it, they encrypt the signal, and the job is done. The "victim should not be responsible" bit is bunk, since every router allows encryption.

 

Personally, I see no reason why most of the US shouldn't be covered. I allow my residential to stay open, for folks driving by and surfing, since I have done the same.

 

That being said, I grab a PQ and use cache watcher, so getting access is not all that important. I have connected directly on one or two occassions where I've ended up somewhere (exploring, following historical signs, etc) I did not expect to cache, and will download a new PQ for that area. I've also taken a break in the middle of a cache run and logged caches - I like to write meaningful on-line logs, so this assists in actually remembering the cache and writing about it, not to mention not having to sit in front of the computer for a long time after a cache run.

[+Driver Carries Cache]

Why would anyone be surprised that there would be laws against this? The argument that if it's unsecured then it's OK is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard... so if I leave my house unlocked, does that mean it's OK for you to just come on in? (warning... anyone entering without permission is subject to projectile "lead poisoning"). Admittedly, installing a wireless access point up and leaving it intentionally unsecured isn't the height of genius either (unless you intended it to be that way).

 

Isn't it illegal to intercept cel signals? Isn't it illegal to intercept satellite TV signals... why would this signal be any different?

 

Seems like the only free signals out there are coming from the GPS satellites!

 

DCC

Edited December 10, 2007 by Driver Carries Cache

[GeoPirates2007]

I allow my residential to stay open, for folks driving by and surfing

Thank you, thank you, thank you

[+Renegade Knight]

Why would anyone be surprised that there would be laws against this? The argument that if it's unsecured then it's OK is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard... so if I leave my house unlocked, does that mean it's OK for you to just come on in? ...

 

It's not that simple.

First, open WiFi often does mean they don't mind. Then you are good.

Second, the open door anology falls short. If your open front door was in my own living room or car, sorry but that's an invitation to come on in. I get about 6 Signals in my living room.

 

Third and the real solution is that WiFi needs to have a toggle so the signals says "Yes you can use it" or "Nope, the connection is open for my own convenience so you are not allowed". Then the discussion can end. You would know the answer. They could default it to "No" so people have to opt in. Then WiFi sniffers can do a better job of finding the access that's ok to use. Then they can get rid of the stupid laws that make things illegal that some have chosen to allow?

Edited December 10, 2007 by Renegade Knight

[+StarBrand]

I've seen it prosecuted as theft of service. But I wouldn't lose any sleep over the possiblilty of getting caught either.

 

Interestingly, I recently saw that cell phone companies have the right to sue you for theft of services if you use a jammer in your private home or at a private business as well as anywhere in public.

[+fairyhoney]

When we go caching, my son carries his laptop and we usually go to an apartment complex.

[+fairyhoney]

Maybe this Has been answered. But how would can someone know if somebody else is using thier's?

[+Jeep_Dog]

Maybe this Has been answered. But how would can someone know if somebody else is using thier's?

 

Nearly every router tracks MAC addresses of computers that connect to the router. You can bring up the history and view it that way. You can also stare at it watch MAC addresses come and go, install software that provides instant notification of a new MAC, et cetera. If you are interested in reading more about MAC or EHA, click here: MAC Address Link

 

Further, with routers, you can configure allowable access and assigned bandwidth to "non-registered" MACs -which is exactly what I do with my residential access that I leave open. Based on some recent discussion, I will probably force an intro web page explaining all this and stating "this is left open for your enjoyment. Use with my blessings."

[+Team Cotati]

Maybe this Has been answered. But how would can someone know if somebody else is using thier's?

 

The fact of the matter is that they wouldn't know. Perhaps if you were consuming enough bandwidth to slow them noticably for some time period, then maybe.

[+Renegade Knight]

Maybe this Has been answered. But how would can someone know if somebody else is using thier's?

 

I use a handy program called Network Magic (handy for other reasons as well).

 

It can tell you who's on your network using your WiFi. I have found one person who used mine when it was open. Right around christmas. I figured they bought a gizmo and it connected.

 

One thing is that the same people who are too stupid to set up WiFi right are also probably too stupid to stay on their own WiFi.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Renegade Knight

[+Rattlebars]

I allow my residential to stay open, for folks driving by and surfing, since I have done the same.

 

 

My Linksys came with a neat little program called Easylink Advisor which lets me know who's hooked into my system. I too leave mine unsecured because my kids and other folks drop in and use it often and I don't really care if anyone else "drops by" either, but I'm far enough away from any parking to have any "visitors."

 

That being said, I posit the following:

 

Would not that leave you open to problems with users stopping nearby, logging onto illegal sites or some such mischief and dropping little turds that YOUR ISP address was doing the visiting?

 

Dunno how that works, but would not your network have a single ISP address which would be the address of record if anyone did any subsequent investigating?

 

I'm going to do a search on the net later this evening on that but if anyone has the answer, it would save me some time THANKS IN ADVANCE.