IMO, bad attitude to have....

[sld72382]

Was helping a guy out a couple of days ago, asked him to connect to the internet, he was getting low signal so I asked him to go to his router to I could have him power cycle it, this is where there the fun started:

SLD: Me.
SAC: Sucky attitude client

SAC: That's actually going to be kinda hard, 'cause I'm using somebody else's router.

SLD: Oh... just one thing, nothing against you at all but that's not a good idea because a) most of the time they have a low signal and b) some states are now considering it the same as stealing cable and are making it illegal, so it's best to get your own internet and router.

SAC: If that's the case then why does places like Starbucks like you use their wifi?

SLD: Those are known as hotspots and are public and free to use so long as you're a paying customer of the establishment, in this case you're using something private that someone else is paying for...

SAC: Look, I can agree with what you're saying, but if that's the case they should secure it then if they don't like people using it! When I leave my apartment I don't leave the door unlocked so people can come in and watch TV on my dime, and I don't leave my truck unlocked so people can go joyriding in it! It's the same principle!

SLD: OK, I'm just saying, once again nothing against you...

SAC: Fine, but just so you know I'm going through a divorce, my wife threw me out
and I'm staying at a friend's place until I can get my own apartment, so it isn't worth getting my own internet service right now...

SLD: ....

The reason why that IMO is sucky is because that's the same attitude a burgler would have, "Well if they don't want to get robbed they should have locked the doors!"

No wonder his wife threw him out. At least according to him she's keeping the 2-story house.

[earl colby pottinger]

Agree

This a person who knows what he is doing is wrong but is trying his best to blame it on the owner of the router. So what is he going to if the router is now secured over the New Year?

[PepperElf]

LOL

My ADSL isn't even *working* yet and the wifi router is password protected.

course... if you're "borrowing" the network from someone who left their wifi router open, how are they going to trace it to press charges?

[Shabo]

LOL

My ADSL isn't even *working* yet and the wifi router is password protected.

course... if you're "borrowing" the network from someone who left their wifi router open, how are they going to trace it to press charges?

Depending on the router software, you may be able to tell what the IP address and Mac address is of the computer connecting. Though that won't necessarily tell you anything either.

And yes, he is right to blame the person who has their router unprotected... but it doesn't mean that he is in the right for using the wireless connection in the first place.

Which reminds me, we lost power not too long ago, which means router settings got reset...

[PepperElf]

yikes, that doesn't sound like a good thing actually... if the passwords reset every time the power goes out.

so far, the router (mac, "g" capable) gets shut off every time i turn the tree off (power strip) but the PWs are all still in place.

[Shabo]

yikes, that doesn't sound like a good thing actually... if the passwords reset every time the power goes out.

so far, the router (mac, "g" capable) gets shut off every time i turn the tree off (power strip) but the PWs are all still in place.

It's a way to reset the admin password, but unfortunately it loses all the data in the meantime. It's not a huge deal to reconfigure, but thank goodness we don't lose power that often.

[sld72382]

Routers have a battery backup so when the power goes out, it's *supposed* to keep your settings.

Note at our call center there are cases in older routers where we tell the client to power cycle and if the battery is week the settings might get lost. Oops!

[BravoOrig]

We had a customer call in repeatedly one night as we were doing maintenance in his area and took his internet connection down. He was requesting credit in the hundreds to equal the amount of money he lost in his hand of online poker. Finally he was escalated to the lead that sits near me. The lead had to inform him that gambling online is illegal in atleast our state, to which the customer asked "If it's illegal, then how can I do it?". Of course my leads response, "There are alot of things you can do that are illegal, just because you CAN do them, doesn't mean its legal!"

[trunks2k]

Meh, to a certain extent, I agree with him but purely from a practical sense not a moral one. Really, it's so simple to put a basic protection on a wireless router that if it's not protected I often consider it an open invitation to use it. It's kinda like pointing your TV out a window with a remote control dangling out the window, setting up comfy seats with free popcorn and soda, and then complaining that people are stealing your cable. And sometimes I can't help but use neighbors unsecured wireless routers. For some reason my room mate's laptop keeps switching itself over to the neighbor's unsecured wireless rather than using our own secured wireless.

[Shabo]

Routers have a battery backup so when the power goes out, it's *supposed* to keep your settings.

It did keep the settings. The last time I had to reset it was when my brother unplugged it to try to get his friend's xbox online so they could play live. They must have reset it because I wouldn't give them the password. My brother isn't smart enough to know about the reset button... but I forgot his friend knows about that stuff. Dang. I was just assuming that it was my router since I had a cheap one. Gotta go hunting for little brother now...

[Broomjockey]

We will not have any further discussion of the moral/legal propriety of using someone's unsecured wireless network. There are laws against it in places, so that's the end of it for this board. If you want to debate that aspect of this thread anymore, go to Fratching.