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the guy next door to me has wireless and dosen't use any password to protect it. My laptops wifi card picks the signal up very strong and i Am on the internet with it.am i really stealing from him? Can he trace me to where i really live or see in my computer from his house?

2007-01-07 13:38:14 · 8 answers · asked by j t 1 in Computers & Internet Computer Networking

8 answers

This is a tough call... It can be anything from a civil violation up to a criminal one. There are a lot of people who have wireless internet and leave it open because they do not care.

You need to talk to your neighbor. If the neighbor says that you can use thier connection you need to get that in writing and both keep a copy to protect you both. Usually if you are willing to put it in writing that you will be using it you will find that your neighbor is probably more willing to let you. (they are usually just afraid of getting in trouble for things that you use it for)

You need to make sure you know... it is not against the law to access the internet through someone elses wireless. The trick though is that it is against the law to access someone elses network without permission. And as much as you may argue that point their wireless router is part of their network, it has an IP address and acts as a connection in their system.

On top of that if you are caught breaking any laws while on that unsecured wireless connection you will not only be tried for that crime, but you will be tried as commiting that crime but also for accessing the network.

Check out the case outlined on the link. in that instance the person using the wireless connection was charged with unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony.

OH, as a side note: it is also important to point out to people who have wireless connections that since all wireless networks are capable of being password protected it will go against you in a civil action if someone uses your open network against you.

lets say that someone accesses your computer through your unsecured wireless connection and uses that access to steal personal information and use that information for identity theft purposes. While that person will be guilty of a criminal offence and probably also can be taken to court by you in a civil action to get back anything you lost. If your network had been secured you would also be able to get punative damages. By leaving the network unsecured you could potentially lose that through contributory neglegence.

2007-01-07 14:20:47 · answer #1 · answered by workmanbe 2 · 1 0

If he doesn't give you permission, then yes, I would call it stealing.

If you are on his network, he could detect your computer, sniff packets being sent too/from your computer if he has a good wireless card with rfmon support, and if you don't have a firewall, he may even be able to do some basic information gathering and determine who you are. (nbtstat -A will show what user you are logged in as ;-) ) And if he knows his stuff, a quick nmap or nessus scan could reveal a way into your PC...

However, since he's got an open network, the chances of him being able to do any of those things I'm betting are very slim. ;-p

At the very least, if he's using a firewall like kerio/zonealarm/etc they may pop up a warning to him that packets are coming from inside the network from an unknown machine, tipping him off to your presence.

2007-01-07 13:45:23 · answer #2 · answered by Mack D 3 · 0 0

You need a wireless interface card. The easiest one to use would be a USB version, but there are cards (that is what I use) that go in the computer. Still, wired internet is best, so if this is permanent, you might think of stringing a long ethernet cable from the router to each desktop computer.

2016-05-23 06:54:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

yes, it is stealing, it really is his fault though, because if he doesnt want anybody using his wifi he should put a password on it
and, No, he cannot see your computer from his house unless you have a VNC program on there with no password. He can see that your computer is connected to his workgroup, so dont name your computer something obvious like your name or something.
He can also view any shared files you have on your computer.

2007-01-07 13:43:14 · answer #4 · answered by vitti93 2 · 0 0

it's not really stealing. when ppl don't put passwords on their internet, they're pretty much saying: "come! use my internet! i'm sharing it with everyone! So go ahead and use it

and there is a way he can find out it's ur computer.

2007-01-07 13:49:26 · answer #5 · answered by Produh G 4 · 0 0

Where I come from, tt is punishable by law. See if he wants to share. Then one of you can unsubscribe and save half the cost by sharing though!

2007-01-07 14:30:46 · answer #6 · answered by HueyHeli 1 · 0 0

Yes. You could ask him for his permission, but the ISP can be suing you. He can't trace you, but he can just go to network computers, and he can see you.

2007-01-07 13:44:13 · answer #7 · answered by PCIV 2 · 0 0

It is stealing, it was deemed stealing in the Chicago Tribune the other day. (lol)

But that doesn't mean you can't/shouldn't do it.

2007-01-07 13:43:36 · answer #8 · answered by aaaaaaaaaaaaaa555 3 · 0 0

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