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January 11th, 2008
Why I run an open Wi-Fi networkPosted by Rik Fairlie @ 7:58 am

Security expert Bruce Schneier wrote a column yesterday titled Steal This Wi-Fi explaining why he runs an open wireless network at home:

To me, it’s basic politeness. Providing internet access to guests is kind of like providing heat and electricity, or a hot cup of tea. But to some observers, it’s both wrong and dangerous.

I’m told that uninvited strangers may sit in their cars in front of my house, and use my network to send spam, eavesdrop on my passwords, and upload and download everything from pirated movies to child pornography. As a result, I risk all sorts of bad things happening to me, from seeing my IP address blacklisted to having the police crash through my door.

Schneier concedes that, technically, these sort of calamities are possible, but he discounts the likelihood. I, too, run an open wireless network, but my reasons for sharing the bandwidth are a little different.

I have a Wi-Fi network in my Manhattan apartment. I pay $45 a month for a broadband cable connection, and this network is encrypted. I live in a 19-story apartment building and the chance that too many people would usurp my bandwidth (and thereby diminish my user experience) is too great.

I have another wireless network at a weekend home in Woodstock, NY. I pay the same cable company $45 each month for broadband service. Since I can’t be in both places at the same time, why should I have to pay for wireless access two times? I explained this to the cable company, and asked to get a discount for multiple accounts (I pay for cable TV in both locations, too). The answer? Absolutely not. So I figured I’d share the bandwidth.

In Manhattan, I’ve shared the password to my wireless network a neighbor down the hall who has two kids but doesn’t have cable TV. (There’s something about this that I think warrants a reward.) In Woodstock, I have an open network that I share with my neighbors some 200 feet away. I have been doing this for more than a year in both locations, without a glitch.

I know this setup wouldn’t work for everyone, particularly if others using your network are heavy consumers of bandwidth. No offense to my neighbors, but I don’t think any of them could identify BitTorrent if it bit them. They’re just browsing the Web and checking e-mail.

I have never publicly admitted that I share my bandwidth, though, because I knew those who doggedly protect their networks would heap criticism on me for being irresponsible (or stupid). But I’m just not the paranoid type; never have been. So until my cable company finds a way to fairly charge users with multiple accounts (or sends me a cease-and-desist letter), I’ll continue to share my bandwidth. I figure it’s their problem to solve, not mine.

What do you think? Is sharing your network risky or a reward to others?

Eliakim48 - 01/11/08 Please read the original article.
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1. I share the bandwidth, too Eliakim48 - 01/11/08 I have gone on trips where I've used someone's home wifi for a quick e-mail or checking something (like the location of a business or whatever), when I haven't been able to find a business giving an open WiFi Hotspot. They are not around in a lot of small towns, when one goes on trips. So, just cruising down the highway and wardriving (sorta) gives you all sorts of access points. I also have a couple of HotSpot accounts, but even so, it's very uneven coverage. It's mostly in major metropolitan areas. You get outside of about 25 major metro areas and then your choices narrow down, and then to nothing, outside of the top 100 cities. But, there are always neighborhood wifi hotspots around. There's no problem there. So, I leave mine on all the time and it broadcast "open" to anyone who wants to tap in. I'm not too far from a major interstate and one block from a major city street, so I'm not isolated so that people can't find it. But, even so, I really don't have a lot of people taking advantage of it. I just "give it back" to the wifi community "at large" for the times that I've used it out on trips.
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2. In a kinder-gentler era... Knorthern Knight - 01/11/08 ...this was exactly the same reasoning applied to open email relays. Then @**hole spammers abused it, and open email relays were deprecated. The same thing will happen here. Criminals will abuse open wifi for stuff they wouldn't dare do from home. See http://www.securityfocus.com/news/7514 If nothing else, you risk being charged as an accessory for any criminal acts committed using your open connection.
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3. Depending on the contract you signed .... ShadeTree - 01/11/08 ... with the broadband provider you may be liable for additionl charges above and beyond your current residential fees. That is if you get caught Of course posting that you are doing so in a public forum is an excellent way to get caught!