Do you secure your Wi-Fi?

Considering we have a monthly cap, yes we secure it! No way I’m letting anyone else use it! Now, if it was unlimited, I probably wouldn’t care that much.

What I do is I toggle it on and off every few weeks just so I can make my neighbors really mad when all of a sudden they don’t have any internet.

Nah, i couldn’t leave my neighbors without internet.
But if they take much of the bandwith i kick them.

umm well my internet has a password to access it.

Our network is always protected. We already have too many computers in our house sharing the internet + all the friends that keep coming here and staying the night, while using her net. Making it public would cause too much of a toll I would imagine. Though I doubt anyone even needs it since everyone in our neighborhood has their own.

The irony of this question is delicious. So many people have no qualms about protecting their wireless internet connection from uninvited users (i.e. freeloaders) yet at the same will freely use their protected network to download “free” music, TV and movies from BitTorrent sites.

I disagree with that shilolo. I don’t think the two are related. No one here is making fun or criticizing freeloaders.

Really, PnL? It is entirely inconsistent to believe that it is fair to effectively steal copyrighted material (i.e. movies) while at the same time believe that you should protect your wireless network from others. If you believe that everything should be freely available, including movies and music, they why not “stick it to the internet company” by providing free wireless access to your neighbors? I suspect it is because, having paid for your connection, you don’t want people piggybacking onto it. Very much like the actors and musicians, who, having made their product, don’t want people piggybacking onto the few people who actually paid for their work.

I keep mine open. As long as I don’t notice it getting slow I don’t really care. And all the lots around here are ½ and 1 acre so only a few houses would be able to use it.

Providing free wireless access would not be sticking it to the internet company, you would be reducing the bandwidth available to yourself and thus hurting yourself. I did not say that it is fair to steal copyrighted material, i said the two issues aren’t related. As for “piggybacking onto the few people who paid for their work”, you are wrong again, since those people are openly sharing the media as opposed to others hacking into their files, and taking their material. They want others to download it from them, because they know that they download media from others. Once again, I am not saying downloading media is right/wrong, I am just explaining the process to you so you get how things are connected.

@rob – really sorry for the threadjack. i promise not to disrupt the thread anymore :(

mine is secure…i’m not crazy about 1, people using what I paid for unless they have my permission, and 2, leaving it open for people to browse my network. i mean, i guess if I have passwords for my user accounts and change my LAN name to something non-standard instead of MSHOME or whatever the default is, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal, i guess.

xxporkxsodaxx- (shakes fist at you) Your kind we’re the bane of my existence at one point in time.

My kid built my wireless network for me before he left for college and I’m a novice. How can I tell if someone else is accessing it? I use a linksys wireless router. Thanks and forgive the 101 question here!

@baseballnut – is your network password protected? as in, if you use a laptop, do you have to input a password to connect to the internet? if so, you don’t need to worry about someone else accessing it. if it isn’t password protected, you can check out your router’s page (http://192.168.1.1) and go to the wireless section and see which computers are using your internet.

thanks so much – it isn’t password protected. I’m trying this now.

sure, feel free to PM me if you need further help

@PnL. See, you made my point for me. You said “Providing free wireless access would not be sticking it to the internet company, you would be reducing the bandwidth available to yourself and thus hurting yourself.” Exactly. By providing free wireless access you would, in essence, be depriving the internet/phone/cable companies a paying subscriber. That a consequence might be reduced bandwidth for yourself and/or security vulnerability is precisely why lots of people protect their network. The selfish motive here is to protect your (paid for) bandwidth (substitute the word wireless internet and it is the same thing I said). In the absence of your (hypothetically free) network, a person will have to pay for their own bandwidth or find a “free WiFi hotspot”.

With respect to the second point, people freely download music/movies because (as you said), they think it is a victimless activity. “My buddy uploaded his DVD of movie X, so he wants me to have it. No harm, no foul.” It still is stealing from the artists, even if your buddy doesn’t think so.

My point is simple. How can someone be opposed to dilution of paid for bandwidth (i.e. stealing from the internet companies) while at the same time be in favor of stealing from musicians and actors?

Shi, the decrease in bandwidth is bad because it directly inconveniences me, not irrespective of any effect it has on the company.

I have my AirPort set up to only recognize our computers, iPhones and Wii simply because I want my connection to be as consistent and stable as possible… which has been an issue lately.

nope. no password here, but like I have said in the past, I live in the middle of nowhere, if someone is using my internet, I’ll know… cause they’ll be parked in my driveway… and I have a no trespassing, violaters WILL be shot sign.

My work connection is secured and my home is open, so I can share the connection with anyone who cares to look.

I lock the door to my flat when I leave.