A friend bought a new laptop and tells me if she is driving along the highway and passes a house with identical internet service, she can sign on using their service. HUH?
2007-02-18 05:29:53 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
she is picking up a wireless signal with the same ID as hers. Basically he wireless router in her house probably was just taken out of the box and turned on. She never changed the SSID and thats what alot of people do. So if she has the ID of linksys and it doesn't have a password, if she is in range of another person who did the same thing, she can automatically pick up that network signal and access it.
rule of thumb, change the SSID and add a password to your wireless network.
2007-02-18 05:34:23 · answer #1 · answered by thunder2sys 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't even need to be the same provider, just an unprotected wireless network. The game is called wardriving. A lot of fun if you don't abuse the network.
2007-02-18 05:41:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yep, it really is that simple. i didnt pay for internet for the first 2 months i lived in my apartment complex. there were always 2 other networks that i could connect to. plus, it comes in handy if you cant afford a GPS, just take your laptop with you and pull into just about any nice hotel or apartment complex to get a connection and directions to where you need to go.
2007-02-18 06:04:02 · answer #3 · answered by I Like Cheese 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If someone's wireless network is unsecured, her wireless card can automatically connect to someone's network and steal their internet. This is known as "wardriving" and is technically illegal, but I haven't been caught yet!
2007-02-18 05:45:14 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋