My laptop has been picking up my neighbour's Netgear connection.

So far, I can go on the internet, receive emails, but I can't send any. I get an "Administrative prohibition 550".
Is it something my neighbour could have configured specifically ? Does Netgear allows you to do that ? I may go and have a chat with him but it would be great if I understood what is happening and what he may have done before I meet him (and beg...) Thanks

I would say that the proper etiquette here is to go over and introduce yourself and let the neighbor know that his network is available to the public. Remember that when you are on the net, he is losing bandwidth...if he doesn´t mind, fine.

Hello,

To answer your question Technically:

Email recipt (your laptop going to get it) is handled on TCP/IP Port 110... if you are using what is called a POP3 email server. Usually, those ports are open all around to go and get email.

Email transmission (your laptop sending it) is handled on TCP/IP Port 25, and with the advent of spam and the technical efforts to control it, there are a lot of locked down ports, and IP number checkings that occur before it is deemed that the email is trusted to be sent.

As many can tell, these efforts are fruitless, as spam keeps on getting more and more, and legitimate uses of email servers have been stomped out.

Technically, you will need to find the legitimate email server for the network he is on.


Now, let's work with the Political and Social answer:

You are stealing. Either he or his ISP could come after you for theft of information. You are coming in on his network, and unfirewalled, and who knows what else he is exposing to you. I would also argue that since you know that you are doing this that it is a poor reflection of your character to willingly use his connection and not seek permission.

Go have a talk with him. He might ask you to help defray the costs, or you might end up cutting his grass or something along those lines. Do not try to work around the situation, as if he does catch you, he might not be kind and might raise holy hell. You have to be mature and seek his permission. The longer you wait, the harder it will be.

Christian

I guess I should have been more forceful, Christian, thanks for saying it like it is...

Hello my righteous friends,

thank you for your answers.

The only thing I can say I now understand for certain is that the reason I couldn't send emails was because I am using someone else's network.

As for stealing.... Information ? What information. I must tell you that as far as I am concerned, my laptop is just a cool looking and sophisticated type-writer, on which I can also play spider soliters during breaks. My technological abilities do not allow me to go much further than that.

You say that I make my neighbour - or myself ? - vulnerable and mention being unfirewalled. That's worrying. My laptop tells me that I am firewalled. How using his connection could allow him to go through my firewall or me though his ? Also, I know nothing about his network, what's on it, etc. All I know is that at start-up, my computer automatically looks for a signal and connects using Netgear. That is ALL the info that is made available to me.

It is true however that when I click on the little icon on the bar at the bottom right corner of my screen, it tells me that this is an unsecured connection. Is that something to worry about ?

And by the way, this picking of a signal is extremely common here in London at least. Friends tell me they have the same experiences.

And as for paying my connection, I do already. I have Wanadoo broadband which is actually faster than this Netgear wireless picked up by my laptop.

I would like to access my broadband provider wirelessly now. So that's another question :

How do I go about that ? What's the piece of hardware I need to buy ? I rang Dell from whom I bought this laptop and I got some gobbledigook answers I am afraid. Is it expensive ?

Thanks

Lucile

Hi Lucile,

We´re not picking on you, it´s just that these forums point out to anyone that´s reading them what is happening and, therefore, we´re just stating our opinion for others that see the posts. I think I see now what you are saying - you are getting a signon from his network through no fault of your own?

So, it´s good that you have your own connection but that doesn´t make it right to sign on to a network that´s not yours. It´s kind of like taking his newspaper in the morning, reading it, and then returning it before he wakes up, even though you take a different newspaper of your own. If he knew that you were doing it, there would be no problem...

I don´t think Christian meant his comments as an accusation, just as a statement of fact. The fact that you didn´t know you were doing something less than honest is a mitigating factor. One might argue that it´s his fault for having a network that advertises to anyone out there that it´s available and then signs you on without any intervention from you, if that´s what is happening.

I see two ways of handling this. 1) Tell the neighbor what is going on and ask him what he wants you to do - maybe he will have no problem with it and say use it. 2) Turn off your wireless access when you are at home, you don´t need it as you have your own connection.

In any case, this person needs to set up some security on his wireless network before someone malicious gets in there and start messing around with his system. He´s actually lucky you are there to straighten him out...

Lucile --

Fortunately for you, squatting in the UK is not technically illegal, for now. However, ethically, it is wrong. You are using someone else's service that they are paying for. Is it right to get up at 4 am and read someone's paper before they get up? It may not really be that big of a deal, but how would you feel if you were paying for it and you found out that someone else was using it so they wouldn't have to pay?

Now since you are already paying for broadband, and you want to set up your own connection, that's pretty easy. Get yourself a Linksys WRT54G, follow the monkey sheets and you should be good to go. It's really pretty easy.

Andy

whatever it is worth the general term is "theft of service" which in laymans terms means it is nothing you can touch with your hands but it has value to its "owner."

Just incase that keeps things clearer in the future.

True, however, in the UK, there is no law goeverning it.

I think you folks are being a bit hard on Lucille. I work with lots of customers who don't bother to configure their wireless access points properly with a network SSID and encryption. There is no reason for them to worry about such complications -- the access points they buy are literally plug and play. So too is the computer.

Lucille's computer probably runs Windows XP. XP will, by default, search out the strongest wireless signal and connect to it.

From her perspective this is what her computer is doing and it works for her, so what is wrong with it? Possibly dozens of others are doing the same thing. I can tell you that coffee shops like Coffee Republic, in the UK, charge piratical rates for wifi airtime: 4.50 an hour (in pounds sterling, which is worth more than the US dollar.) I know this because that's what I paid recently. Wireless access points in the UK home seem fairly rare over there; my site scans came up empty. Anyone running an open, unencrypted access point there may well be inviting wifi-enabled citizens to connect freely.

So, I think it might be better to turn down the harsh tone. She asked a question. There was no need to blast her; diplomacy is much more desirable and effective than vinegar in this case.

Thanks

Bob