Newbie WiFi Question?

Okay i am new to the wireless network game.
I notice that when im at certain locations, i will receive "available"
network messages. So i tried it onetime and i could get on the net , w/ great speed, at my buddies apartment. Now i realize that there are some
"free" networks or something out there, but i just get the feeling im doing something wrong. Am I?
and....
These "fee" based wireless networks at these certain places, i wont be able to get charged unless i sign up, right? ( im so noobish)

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Dell Inspiron 9300
*60gb hd, 7200rpm
*256mb Nvidia Go 6800
*512mb Memory
*Intel-Pro 2200 (800b/g)

 

1. some people do not lock down their home wifi networks and are thus available for anyone to connect to. technically, you are not supposed to; however, it would take a lot of effort on their part to 'bust' you. if they really didn't want you on there, the easiest thing to do would be lock down the cxn. note that it is a potentially criminal action to connect.

2. some (commercial) locations offer free wifi as a value added benefit for their customers. you can use sites like http://www.wififreespot.com/ to find such locations in your area

3. you will not be charged at fee based locations because you won't be able to connect to them. such services require you to sign up/register and get a UID/PWord to connect

 

Last time I read any of the service agreements, the ISPs did NOT mind if you shared a connection. They just had the standard limits on bandwidth. So, there shouldn't be a problem from that end.

Now, as far as using someone else's connection, they may not realize that you're using it, and they may not care. It's best to ask if you can share. I feel that's the polite thing to do. I don't really care if anyone uses my connection as long as it doesn't affect my net experience, and they don't try to snoop around in my PC. However, I have a friend that is strongly opposed to anyone sharing his connection. It's a personal preference, and (at the least) the polite thing to do is to ask.

As for the fee-based connections, you'll know you're about to be charged when they start asking for your credit card info. Keep in mind that more and more businesses are offering free wifi, though. Just connect and go! Make sure your internet shields (firewall, AV,etc) are up. I heard one person describe free wifi hotspots as the "thai brothels" of internet connections when it comes to viruses and such. [ ]

Russ


HP ZV5000z
Athlon 64 3000+
512mb RAM
60gb 4200rpm HD
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