Using neighbours unsecured wireless router?

One of my neighbours has an un secure wireless router that i can obviously connect to (as can anyone else)....is this illegal?

Yep!

No, it is not illegal to set up an unsecured wireless network.

Yes, it maybe illegal to use an unsecured wireless network without the owner's permission. But it may still be a breach of their T&C for them to allow you to do so.

You connecting to it, yes. It's a stupid law IMO. Left to its own devices Windows will pick my neighbour's network ahead of my own most of the time for some reason. Just shows how stupid Windows is. Picking a weak, unsecured .11b instead of an excellent WPA secured .11g :-/

Thankfully you can specify a preferred network but it's daft that you can be comitting a criminal act just because of an operating system's default choice.

Personally I think if people are too stupid to secure their network and it extends into my property then neither they nor anyone else has any right to complain if I happen to use it.

Edited by Andrue (Sat 21-Jun-08 20:48:53)

No maybe - it is illegal.

If they notice and report you then you may end up in trouble

Now would they go about finding you though? knock on all the doors and ask if you have a PC?

In reply to:

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It's a stupid law IMO.

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It's theft.

If I leave my window open on a hot day, do you think that gives you permission to enter my house ? If I forget to lock my car, does that give you a green light to steal the car radio ?

Edited by deleted (Sun 22-Jun-08 11:56:29)

Perhaps their router shows who is connected, and the PC name can be a give away sometimes.
One key thing if 'borrowing' usage is that the account you are then using may have a usage charging system.

Consider this - it might be a honey trap, i.e. all traffic going through their router can be seen by them, so they could potentially track your browsing habits and more

Oh don't be so ridiculous. Go and look up the legal definition of 'theft'. The *one* case that Andrew refers to when he assures you 'it is illegal' resulted in a prosecution under the CMA, *not* the Theft Act.

NOTE: It is usually my experience that people should refrain from commenting, or offering legal advice, unless they are engaged with the legal profession on a professional or academic level.

To the OP: if you wish for clarification, write to your local CPS office. They will be the body to bring the prosecution, so best ask them directly what is or isn't illegal.

I don't really care about legal definitions - the law is an ass - which is why a kid can steal a �30,000 car and trash it, and get away with "TWOC" and a slap across the wrists, while an old age pensioner doesn't pay �1500 community charge and gets 3 months inside.

If you pay for something, and someone else uses it without your consent, then morally that's theft. I don't really care about what pedants claiming to be from the legal profession say to squirm their way out of it.

It's stealing.

I suppose next you'll be extolling the legal virtues of stealing music and video on the internet ?

Edit: P.S. - why do we need protracted legal discussions on issues like this ? Don't parents teach their kids the difference between right and wrong any more ?

Edited by deleted (Wed 25-Jun-08 08:45:47)