Bandwidth usage

[CrAz3D]

I reference to the other post...is it really stealing bandwidth if you have an open network?
If so, is there a way to go about telling them to stop & it be legally enforcable(without putting a password on, my mom can't figure those out )

[rabbit]

Whatever they do on your network is entirely, 100%, your responsibility.  It'd be best to encrypt it with WEP/WSA (essentially a password), and then set up your mom's computer(s) with the key.

[CrAz3D]

Whatever they do on your network is entirely, 100%, your responsibility.  It'd be best to encrypt it with WEP/WSA (essentially a password), and then set up your mom's computer(s) with the key.

Very swell.
My mom doesn't like stuff on her computer she doesn't understand (why she has a computer, then, is beyond me).

[Kp]

I reference to the other post...is it really stealing bandwidth if you have an open network?

This question comes up periodically, but has never been effectively resolved.  I think a few jurisdictions have laws about what measures you must undertake to keep uninvited people off, but those jurisdictions are few and far between.

Whether it's stealing depends on several factors, perhaps the most important of which is whether you have a bandwidth cap.  If you're only allowed to move X Gb per month, it's definitely stealing since the freeloader is reducing the amount of traffic you can move.  That said, such caps are artificially imposed to increase profit.  Another consideration is how heavily you're using the network: if the freeloader's consumption of resources interferes with your own ability to use the network (say, you're in a FPS and he's trying to download a very large file), the freeloader is again infringing on your use of your network (for the sake of simplicity, assume it's a patch to a game or some other file which he can acquire without infringing anyone's copyright).  Now, if your network has unused bandwidth and your debt to your ISP is not affected by his consumption, then it's a much vaguer question.  It's still rude of him to do so without asking (and if he asked and you OKed it, then he's no longer a freeloader).  From your perspective, it's generally a bad idea to let freeloaders on the network even if they aren't affecting its performance, since any trace of their activities will lead back to you (not them).

[Newby]

I want to know why Networks trashed it. There's no rule stating you can't help him manage wireless networks, is there? It's a computer-related issue, is it not?

[Networks]

I want to know why Networks trashed it. There's no rule stating you can't help him manage wireless networks, is there? It's a computer-related issue, is it not?

He's asking for ideas on how to mess with people using his cable. In his post he clearly understands how to encrypt and secure his network, I fail to see where he is asking a legitminate question.

[Kp]

I want to know why Networks trashed it. There's no rule stating you can't help him manage wireless networks, is there? It's a computer-related issue, is it not?

He's asking for ideas on how to mess with people using his cable.

One great idea being to set a traffic shaping policy that reduces the freeloader to a Kb/sec or less.  If the freeloader is really determined, he can eventually download something.  But at that slow a transfer rate...

[Eric]

I want to know why Networks trashed it. There's no rule stating you can't help him manage wireless networks, is there? It's a computer-related issue, is it not?

He's asking for ideas on how to mess with people using his cable.

One great idea being to set a traffic shaping policy that reduces the freeloader to a Kb/sec or less.  If the freeloader is really determined, he can eventually download something.  But at that slow a transfer rate...

haha that's evil.

[MrRaza]

Ways to deny people from taking bandwidth from your wireless router:

There should be a MAC address table that comes with any type of router generally, i know D-link and linksys products do. Find the MAC address that is burned into your nic or wireless network card and insert it into the list. That way you can permit which devices can connect your network. Setting and using a paassword that is generated from WEP or WSA encryption can be helpful for most people but there are free products out there that can crack these keys with very little effort, in fact 5 mins, if you want to see the video. I think you can also disable the broadcast that the router generates that tells the operating system that it's possible to connect to this network.

[CrAz3D]

I may mess with the MAC address filter.

However, Kp's idea of toying with whomever seems quite fun