Re: using someone elses broadband

On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:55:29 +0100, Mike <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:16:45 +0100, Alex Heney <me8@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:46:03 -0400, Mike Ross <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

If the SSID has been
reconfigured from factory default but no attempt has been made to
secure the WLAN or restrict usage in any way then on balance I'd have
to call that intentional, and an invitation to use it.

I would be inclined to agree, unless the changed name was something
like "private", or "starbucks_customers_only".

I'm not sure that that form of reasoning is at all sound.

If I walk along a particular urban street (which may or may not be a
typical urban street but I just happen to walk along it frequently)
with my hand-held WiFi-enabled computer, I can see a dozen or so
wireless networks. About two-thirds of them are open but all of them
(the open and the "secure" networks) have SSIDs that have been changed
from the default.

My feeling is that most people are able to do something "simple" like
change an SSID name, and quite like to do so to express their
individuality, but balk at something "complicated" like setting up
encryption keys and entering MAC addresses. Equally, most people will
understand the concept of a wireless network having a name but won't
have a clue about anything more technical than that.

that does surprise me.

I live out in the sticks, so there aren't any others I can see, but
when I have been staying at either of my daughters' houses, there have
been several others visible with names such as "Belkin" or "Netgear".

Not a large sample, I know, but I did think it indicative. Maybe I was
wrong.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
If it walks out of your refrigerator, LET IT GO !!
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Office WIFI Connection Problem
    ... You say "secure SSID". ... you will need the same certificate on the device. ... Can anybody help me connect thru our office network via WIFI... ...
    (microsoft.public.pocketpc.phone_edition)
  • Re: WPA-PSK audit
    ... add numerals to the ssid set... ... authentication mechanism for enterprise networks. ... Since the PSK is ... Need to secure your web apps NOW? ...
    (Pen-Test)
  • Re: using someone elses broadband
    ... If the SSID has been ... secure the WLAN or restrict usage in any way then on balance I'd have ... typical urban street but I just happen to walk along it frequently) ... wireless networks. ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: Setting up a wireless 360 network
    ... You can use wep encription and don't broadcast the SSID to ... secure your network. ...
    (alt.games.video.xbox)
  • Re: How to set ssid
    ... SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers) are 32-byte strings used to distinguish ... wireless networks from one another. ... Please check the above URL for setting up SSID. ... > am currently writing code for an application on windows xp, ...
    (microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer)