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by angelstar8419 on May 30th, 2007

angelstar8419

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Is it legal to pick up other wireless signals to use laptop when not at home?

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Answers. 7 helpful answers below.

  • by Old School on May 30th, 2007

    Old School

    In most areas, it is technically illegal. Your chances of being prosecuted are relatively remote unless the owner of the wireless access point notices that you are hogging the bandwidth.

    I have done this numerous times all over the USA and never encountered any legal issues.

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  • by spawnbred on May 30th, 2007

    spawnbred

    It's technically "unethical", not "illegal", but heck...everyone does it anyway.

    Of course, if the person you're leeching from finds out, it's another story...

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  • by Nelson L. Squeeko on May 30th, 2007

    Nelson L. Squeeko

    Questions of legality can vary from place to place, so you'd have to check with your local government. Personally I don't see it as a problem. If your picking it up from a private or residential router, its in the best interest of the owner to have an encrypted network. If you find a wireless hotspot that lets you connect to the internet without using your own service provider, go for it.
    (if its legal of course, don't want to get a criminal record for stealing an internet signal)

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  • by Anonymous on May 30th, 2007

    Anonymous

    In Westchester County NY it's illegal but they'll ticket the owner of the router, not the person picking up the signal... as it should be!

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  • by gamergirl on May 30th, 2007

    gamergirl

    it is legal...but your the signal you pick up may have security...i play my PSP all the time in a wifi zone it is pretty much the same thing but you just have to stay in one place when your connected

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  • by Karl Plesz on May 31st, 2007

    Karl Plesz

    It does depend on where you live as to whether laws exist covering this type of activity.

    I believe it is improper to take advantage of someone's unprotected wireless connection for one basic reason - often the owner has no idea what they're doing and even though it's their fault for not reading the manual, wireless setup is not easy and many users just give up on proper configuration.

    But of course, connecting to unprotected wireless networks happens all the time. Your chances of getting caught are dependant on how much you abuse it.

    Doobie: I hate to break it to ya bud, but when someone leaves their front door wide open, it's NOT legal for someone to walk right in. It's called trespassing. At least, it is where I live.

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  • by Anonymous on May 31st, 2007

    Anonymous

    As long as you're not breaking into a network in order to use the bandwidth. Networks that aren't properly secured are fair game. It's like when someone leaves their front door wide open, it's perfectly legal for someone to walk right in.

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