RE: [Thinkpad] T41p: wireless drops connection every 2-3 minutes

On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 12:48:30 -0600 (CST), Chris Schumann wrote:

>First, let's see... they are paying for bandwidth, and you're
>not. Illegal? Probably. A little less invasive than say...
>charging your batteries on a neighbor's outdoor outlet, but
>still using a utility they are paying for.

I agree that it's not like plugging into their electrical outlet.
If I were to use a neighbour's wireless, I think it's more like
using their outdoor light. They've paid for it and it's spilling
out in all directions.

>Would you feel ripped off if someone were using the bandwidth
>you paid for at home? I would.

Insecure? Yes. Ripped off? No. I'm paying the same whether they
do it or not. I live in a townhouse complex with a light at each
and of the path and nothing in between. It's not pitch black but
it's dark. I'm halfway down the path and the only person who puts
on his light. Clearly my neighbours are taking advantage of the
light I spill out in all directions and not putting on theirs.
That's life.

>If you were a coffee shop with a WAP for your customers?
>Again, I think I would (assuiming you're not a customer).
>If you were a library with a public WAP and people were
>sitting in their cars instead of coming in? I think I'd
>be fine with that.

But the library has installed the network for the use of its
patrons. It's either paid for out of taxes or from library
membership fees (not an issue around here, but there are places
where non-residents have to pay a fee to join the library since
they don't kick in any taxes).

>Secondly, you are on the local wireless network. That means
>that all the services you advertise are available. If you
>share files, then you're browsable. If you've got a publicly
>available share, that's out there. A personal firewall is
>your friend.

I guess that's the biggest risk. And I didn't see much
practicality in using non-public networks from the highway anyway,
the availability is too short. It was more a novelty than
anything.

Of course now I'm trying to decide whether to cough up the funds
for digital anywhere access. :)

Thanks for the advice!

andrew [awebber@wwwebbers.com]
ph 613-797-8123
fx 831-300-4097
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Received on Fri Mar 19 14:34:02 2004