Wi-Fi Moochers: Some Wireless Internet Fans 'Borrow' Access

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Thursday, July 31, 2003 | NICK WINGFIELD

[TroutStalker]

Nigel Ballard was hauling the trash out one night several months ago when he spotted a digital loiterer in front of his house.

A man was sitting in a car blocking Mr. Ballard's driveway, the soft glow of a laptop illuminating the vehicle's interior. The driver was checking his e-mail. Mr. Ballard had set up a wireless antenna to share his high-speed Internet connection with neighbors, but he hadn't expected to see strangers dallying after dark.

[lewislynn]

Freeloading chiselers.....

[justlurking]

I installed Network Stumbler on my laptop, plugged in my GPS, and cruised the major roads within about 2 miles of my house.

I detected 38 access points. 2/3'rds of them had encryption disabled, although they may have had other measures in place to prevent use without authorization/subscription (I didn't try to connect).

The highest concentration was on the residential streets I took to return to my house. I have a feeling I could have detected a lot more on the residential streets.

I don't leave my access point on, unless I actually have a need for it (i.e. use my laptop somewhere in my house without a wired connection, which is rare). I doubt most people realize the risks they are taking by leaving them open for use, without appropriate security measures.

[Solson]

I will gladly support,with my presence and my business any company providing free wi-fi access. As soon as some company provides it free within an airport I'll give em all my business.

I love free wi-fi and it is a smart business move. Dunn Bros. coffee in Minneapolis provides free wi-fi and it has caused a good uptick in their business. If McDonald's rolls out free wi-fi nationally, I'll be living in Micky-D's around the country.

[js1138]

Is it just me, or is the practical limit of these things closer to 100 feet than 300 feet?

[Semper Paratus]

Took my laptop outside and determined a moocher would have to be well into my driveway or hidden in a closeby tree to surf on my dime.

[justlurking]

On the other hand, I can pick up 2 other networks (beside my own) in my own house, presumably from my neighbors.

[justlurking]

Is it just me, or is the practical limit of these things closer to 100 feet than 300 feet?

I find that 100 feet (or less) is the practical limit for reliable connections in the house, with walls and other obstructions.

You can do better in the open. There are also directional antennas that work well to extend the range.

[Bikers4Bush]

Bump for later.

[js1138]

I'm also curious about security. I've installed two wireless access points, one at work and one for my sister. Neither site has any potential lurking points within 300 feet, but I noticed that encryption seems to reduce the range. So I disabled encryption and restricted access by MAC address. I figure only a professional would take the time to get past that.

Anybody care to comment on that?

[HAL9000]

Is it just me, or is the practical limit of these things closer to 100 feet than 300 feet?

I'm using a rooftop antenna to connect to a WiFi access point 2.5 miles away.

[js1138]

I'm aware of the existence of commercial, high powered wi-fi devices, but I'm speaking of the over-the-counter boxes sold in CompUSA, some of which suggest a range of 300 feet. I've never seen this range achieved.

[justlurking]

I think it's a great "loss leader" for a retail service business to attract customers, although some may be more sucessful than others.

But, I'm not sure it's appropriate for residential users, unless they make at least some effort to secure it.

[Astronaut]

When I set up my Apple Airport system, I used high encryption that requires a WEP (wireless encryption protocol) key to access. So even if some mooch drives by my house and finds a signal, he still cant access the internet without the password to unlock the WEP key.

I cant believe that there are actually cheapskate losers that drive around looking for wireless internet signals. If you can afford a laptop computer, you can afford to pay for access. Broadband is about $50 month, dialup is even cheaper. Must be liberals. Always looking for a free lunch.

[justlurking]

So I disabled encryption and restricted access by MAC address. I figure only a professional would take the time to get past that.

Getting past a MAC address restriction apparently isn't hard, as many of the WiFi cards can have their MAC address re-programmed.

However, I'd be more worried about the data you are transmitting in the clear without encryption. The encryption is not difficult to break, but it will thwart all but the most determined attack.

[justlurking]

I'm aware of the existence of commercial, high powered wi-fi devices, but I'm speaking of the over-the-counter boxes sold in CompUSA, some of which suggest a range of 300 feet. I've never seen this range achieved.

By default, you will get these ranges only over unobstructed line-of-sight. But, extending the range does not require "commercial, high powered devices". Power is limited by regulation, but you can use an external, directional antenna with over-the-counter boxes to extend the range considerably.

[js1138]

If I worried about the data being sent I would turn encryption on. There's no financial info being sent. No online purchases. The MAC restriction is just to keep out moochers. I suppose the greatest security in these installations is distance.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"Some people engage in a pastime called "wardriving" that involves cruising around in cars looking for unprotected corporate wireless networks. These techies say they want to alert companies to security breaches in their networks, not necessarily to piggyback on their signals. In some cities, wireless enthusiasts have scrawled symbols on sidewalks or buildings that mark the presence of a Wi-Fi network, a practice known as "warchalking.""

There must be some new business opportunities here somewhere. I know of one unemployed engineer who loiters and drives around doing this. Last time I spoke with him he said that streaming and video conferencing are still not that good with wi-fi, but I think the bandwidth issues are improving.

[justlurking]

There's no financial info being sent. No online purchases.

What about passwords? Every time you login into most webmail sites or download your email from a POP3 or IMAP server, your password is sent in the clear.

I wouldn't worry about financial info or online purchases: those are encrypted by SSL anyway. But, there more useful information in the unencrypted data than most people believe.

I use network sniffers as part of my job. There's already a substantial risk in sending this data unencrypted over the wire. Broadcasting it in the clear via wireless is just compounding the problem.

[SengirV]

If you can afford a laptop computer, you can afford to pay for access. Broadband is about $50 month, dialup is even cheaper.

Thanks the the baby bells and cable monopolies dragging their feet, not everyone who wants HSIA has access to it.