I’ve only got one neighbor who might be close enough to use my wireless and that’s probably stretching the range a bit.
Did you read the part about a potato chip can being used as a range booster? 10 million kiddie porn pics downloaded, according to the article.
We have several unprotected routers in our neighborhood. A few days ago I noticed a white SUV on the street which would change positions every few minutes, up the street, down the street, one side, then the other. The dark glass on the vehicle didn't allow anyone to see the driver. There were no markings indicating a commercial vehicle. It finally hit me that it was likely someone positioning himself for the best reception from a wireless router. Not sure, but a good bet. Why the guy didn't park near a coffee shop or hotel, I don't know. Maybe because of restrictions?
>>>>I’ve only got one neighbor who might be close enough to use my wireless and that’s probably stretching the range a bit.
Depends on the antennas involved. I can supply my mother who lives about 800’ behind me and with just a small set of Yagi antennas from my 35/35 pipe and its full scale over there. Mom, said that was stealing and would have none of it. :) so now I have two yagi antennas :)
I have her on my logmein account so I can keep her computer maintenance going without leaving the house.
Testing with the laptop in the car with hand holding the antenna I could get into my router from over a mile away.
Amazing times we live in....
A powerful antenna and a powerful but cheap 33db usb dongle can pick up signals a long way away.
With a small yagi antenna I can see networks that are 3 to 5 miles from my location and connect to them. I always laugh a bit when I see a network that ID’s as Linksys. Never find one of these that is secure. Hill top location helps with the range. Change the default ID of the router and lock it up with a strong password and encrypt your wireless transmissions.