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[Gravy Boat]

Right so shared internet in a multi occupancy house. So not even the same situation that you are going on a moral crusade against other people who are solely responsible for thier network. But here you are telling other people what they should allow on thier network just becuse you would hypothetically agree to it. You can't cite the real world and then ignore the real world consequences of somebody using a connection you own for illegal things.

I said no to my neighbour, we still get on fine.

I'm not going to tell you what to do with your wi-fi, I just think assuming that they're going to be using it for illegal things that will land you in trouble is incredibly paranoid. The average person is much more reasonable and boring than people on GAF makes them out to be.

Not to mention using it for something illegal would be incredibly stupid on their part, and would almost certainly get them caught.

Police: Hello, we've noticed a ton of child porn being downloaded through your internet. Can we check your computer?
You: Sure, you won't find anything but check my neighbour after, I let him use my wi-fi a while ago.

 

[FSLink]

I'm not going to tell you what to do with your wi-fi, I just think assuming that they're going to be using it for illegal things that will land you in trouble is incredibly paranoid. The average person is much more reasonable and boring than people on GAF makes them out to be.

Not to mention using it for something illegal would be incredibly stupid on their part, and would almost certainly get them caught.

But would you know if it's an average person? Do you run scans on your network to know? It's easier to just say no unless they have a dire emergency to use your WiFi...

And you'd be liable for whatever illegal stuff happens on your network, not necessarily them.

Police: Hello, we've noticed a ton of child porn being downloaded through your internet. Can we check your computer?
You: Sure, you won't find anything but check my neighbour after, I let him use my wi-fi a while ago.

If you're on the same network, they could theoretically easily just store the shit on your computer if you don't have your devices locked down properly.

Not likely but again it's not really worth the risk.

 

[Krakatoa]

I just leave my Wi-Fi wide open. Problem solved for everyone.

 

[Wvrs]

I asked my neighbour if I could use his WiFi for a week when I was a student, we had no television or no Internet in that time and it was awful.

Of course I was polite about the whole thing, introduced myself and brought round some beers.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

Yes, I am responsible for the network and kind of the shared bill with other people living in the house.
No, I haven't received a request for my Wifi password from the neighbor, but I have allowed my neighbor to use my PC to check the Internet while his either PC or connected was unavailable.
But if it a theoretical question, sharing Wifi for a few weeks is not a problem for me, I have no caps and my router's Wifi speed is capped at half the connection, so even if they pump illegal porn 24/7, it wouldn't affect me. However, most people just want to check their emails, social media, read news, watch videos, porn and play games because that is the real world.

If you have caps or other limitations on your connection, you should justify the choice instead of saying NO without additional comments, that will surely sour any kind of positive neighbor experience for anyone.

Does only your name appear on the bill and as the user of said network? Because thats what people have worries about.

Giving your wifi to strangers is closer to giving them your car keys than giving them food, water or money. Because a wifi connection, just like a car, is registered to you, and every fuckery that potentially may or may not happen, can only come back to you and nobody else.

 

[Gravy Boat]

But would you know if it's an average person? Do you run scans on your network to know? It's easier to just say no unless they have a dire emergency to use your WiFi...

And you'd be liable for whatever illegal stuff happens on your network, not necessarily them.

To me it becomes about where you draw the line then. Do you just never help someone out because of the 0.1% they might be a master criminal? I'm 28 years old and in most cases I'm willing to give people the benefit of the doubt where reasonable and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I really can't imagine living a life where you fear that everyone asking for help is somehow out to get you, or trying to get you involved in dark shit.

Does only your name appear on the bill and as the user of said network? Because thats what people have worries about.

Giving your wifi to strangers is closer to giving them your car keys than giving them food, water or money. Because a wifi connection, just like a car, is registered to you, and every fuckery that potentially may or may not happen, can only come back to you and nobody else.

If I someone borrowed my car with my permission (lets assume they have their license, a clean record, insurance, legally borrowing it etc) and used it to go on a rampage and murder a bunch of people, would that get me in trouble in any way? I'd imagine not, but I don't know for sure.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

I'm not going to tell you what to do with your wi-fi, I just think assuming that they're going to be using it for illegal things that will land you in trouble is incredibly paranoid. The average person is much more reasonable and boring than people on GAF makes them out to be.

Not to mention using it for something illegal would be incredibly stupid on their part, and would almost certainly get them caught.

You have been following the cases of people being fined for downloading movies on thier IP?

You have read in the topic that people streaming video slows down connections?

You have read in this topic that someone asks to borrow until they get connected and months later they are still using it?

 

[FSLink]

To me it becomes about where you draw the line then. Do you just never help someone out because of the 0.1% they might be a master criminal? I'm 28 years old and in most cases I'm willing to give people the benefit of the doubt where reasonable and it hasn't steered me wrong yet. I really can't imagine living a life where you fear that everyone asking for help is somehow out to get you, or trying to get you involved in dark shit.

I never said I wouldn't help them out. I'd let them physically use my computer where I can supervise them or use my guest hotspot. But giving them basically full access is a no-no. This is cyber security 101. This is like the difference between giving someone a ride to work and letting them borrow your car. I wouldn't do the latter when the car's in my name and I'm liable for it.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Everyone has a smartphone these days right? He should be able to get his internet fix there. Set it in hotspot mode if needed.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

I have to know you personally to do that, sorry. I woudn't my ip getting attached if some stranger looked up anything illegal.

 

[Gravy Boat]

You have been following the cases of people being fined for downloading movies on thier IP?

You have read in the topic that people streaming video slows down connections?

You have read in this topic that someone asks to borrow until they get connected and months later they are still using it?

None of this disputes anything that I've said.

Like, I'm not saying you should or need to say yes in the OPs position, just that some of the reasoning people are giving for saying no seems like paranoia.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

None of this disputes anything that I've said.

Yes it does. Answers your paranoia defence with real examples.

 

[Gravy Boat]

Yes it does. Answers your paranoia defence with real examples.

You're 'paranoid' about someone slowing down your connection? Come on, that's not the stuff I'm talking about.

 

[watershed]

I give my wifi password to guests but that's it. I wouldn't give it to a neighbor. And the person in the OP was totally rude. That one's a hard no.

 

[FSLink]

None of this disputes anything that I've said.

Like, I'm not saying you should or need to say yes in the OPs position, just that some of the reasoning people are giving for saying no seems like paranoia.

It's not paranoia when there's real life examples and I'm sure most people here don't have an IDS or actively monitor their network to be sure it's not happening.

If you want to be nice, setup an isolated guest hotspot. Don't be an idiot.

 

[Marky Mark]

Wait a sec...

Do you happen to live in Amsterdam? I regularly see that router name whenever I inspect my WiFi network list.

https://www.google.com.au/search?num=20&q="pretty+fly+for+a+wifi"

 

[dreamcastmaster]

If I someone borrowed my car with my permission (lets assume they have their license, a clean record, insurance, legally borrowing it etc) and used it to go on a rampage and murder a bunch of people, would that get me in trouble in any way? I'd imagine not, but I don't know for sure.

Get a speeding/parking ticket through the post weeks later, good luck trying to get your friend to own up to that and you trying to remember the exact time he borrowed it and prove it when disputing the ticket.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

You're 'paranoid' about someone slowing down your connection? Come on, that's not the stuff I'm talking about.

YOU brought up paranoia, not me!

 

[FSLink]

Get a speeding/parking ticket through the post weeks later, good luck trying to get your friend to own up to that and you trying to remember the exact time he borrowed it and prove it when disputing the ticket.

And good luck fighting with an ISP weeks later about the super.illegal.movie.download.avi file that was totally not by you, even though they see it's coming from your IP range.

 

[Gravy Boat]

It's not paranoia when there's real life examples and I'm sure most people here don't have an IDS or actively monitor their network to be sure it's not happening.

If you want to be nice, setup an isolated guest hotspot. Don't be an idiot.

It's still paranoia. There's real world examples of people getting killed by drunk drivers but you're still acting paranoid if you refuse to get on the road incase you get killed by one.

Again, I'm not saying you should give your wi-fi password to stranger, just that this thread is another example (of many) that demonstrates just how paranoid a lot of GAF is when it comes to helping others.

Get a speeding/parking ticket through the post weeks later, good luck trying to get your friend to own up to that and you trying to remember the exact time he borrowed it and prove it when disputing the ticket.

Why not address the example I gave instead of making up another one? Besides, you have some shitty friends if they wouldn't own up to that.

YOU brought up paranoia, not me!

Not about people having their speeds slowed. I would actually see that as a legitimate and reasonable excuse for not wanting to do it.

 

[Snkfanatic]

If refusing a complete stranger that doesn't even have the decency to introduce themselves when asking for a connection to my wifi is paranoid then I have no problem being labeled that.

 

[paperboywriter]

The likelihood that the owner pays a fine for illegal behaviour is very slim, its more about avoiding potential hassle because you are going to be the person who gets the first letter.

 

[kraspkibble]

same thing happened to me. this guy moved into an apartment in the same building. he appeared quite friendly and would always stop to talk to me. seemed like a nice enough guy and i would say hi and have a quick little chat with him if we passed each other leaving building.

one day he was at my door and asked if he could use our internet. i refused to give him the password. i would never give out my wifi password to anyone except close friends if they were in my house.

after a few months i stopped seeing him. i just assumed he moved out but according to our other neighbour who is also a good friend they said that his house got raided and he was arrested for a certain illegal type of porn (i feel horrible just typing what kind it was).

so yeep bullet dodged there. he'd have probably tried downloading that stuff through my internet if i had gave him the password and then it'd be me in deep shit.

 

[Easy_D]

my password is my kingdom

I know you're a dog and all but you shouldn't type out your passwords like that in the open

 

[Barzul]

Friends and family. Considering what I now know at how easy it can be to intercept wireless packets and glean information from it. Not likely to just trust some random.

 

[Raptomex]

We have a new neighbor that moved in yesterday. I've seen him a couple of times, but he never introduced himself or said hello. Today, my fiance and I came home, shut the door and began to close the blinds. At this point someone was banging at the door. It was our new neighbor and he asked how we're doing and then asked if he can use our wifi because he is a college student and his isn't connected yet. During this exchange, he did not introduce himself, shake a hand or anything. I flat out told him no. I thought it was incredibly rude.

GAF, has anyone asked to use your wifi and would of you given your password to a person that cannot even say his name to you?

Because of the bolded, I agree with you. You did the right thing.

There was a teenager or some dude in his early twenties, who was going door to door in my neighborhood asking for donations so he could participate in one of those runs. Like a mudder run kind of thing. I don't remember the name of it. I refused to give him money. Get a job, dude.

 

[OraleeWey]

Log into your router and enable a guest WiFi network. Disable all ports.

ELI5 this?

Edit: How is guest mode different from the regular things... It'll still allow access to the router and whatnot...

 

[MarkMclovin]

Setup a guest IP with limited bandwidth and no access to dodgy sites with a daily time limit.

No need to be so tight. Im sure he'd do you a favour if you ever needed one.

This guys, is how you make friends. Give it a try.

 

[FSLink]

It's still paranoia. There's real world examples of people getting killed by drunk drivers but you're still acting paranoid if you refuse to get on the road incase you get killed by one.

You can't really avoid dealing with car accidents outside of taking steps to mitigate the risk involved (wearing seatbelt, driving defensively, etc). Similarly you can avoid giving out your WiFi password. I have a feeling you don't understand how -easy- it is to do:

Friends and family. Considering what I now know at how easy it can be to intercept wireless packets and glean information from it. Not likely to just trust some random.

Yep.

Again, I'm not saying you should give your wi-fi password to stranger, just that this thread is another example (of many) that demonstrates just how paranoid a lot of GAF is when it comes to helping others.

I already said I'd help them, but I'm not going to be an idiot about it when a Guest Hotspot takes like a minute to setup.

Setup a guest IP with limited bandwidth and no access to dodgy sites with a daily time limit.

No need to be so tight. Im sure he'd do you a favour if you ever needed one.

This guys, is how you make friends. Give it a try.

There you go. I wouldn't do this for the OP's neighbor though, that kid sounds like a dick.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

If you really need crucial access to the internet, try going to a coffee shop or a library. Don't ask people you don't even know well to just trust you on the spot.

 

[Greddleok]

I don't even open my door. As my mum always said, a closed door is a happy door.

 

[kraspkibble]

Setup a guest IP with limited bandwidth and no access to dodgy sites with a daily time limit.

No need to be so tight. Im sure he'd do you a favour if you ever needed one.

This guys, is how you make friends. Give it a try.

i know how to make friends but i sure as hell ain't giving anyone access to my wifi. it's just not gonna happen. i'd be more than happy to help out my neighbours in other ways. hell i've gave out money because they asked for it and they've helped me out when i've asked for a favour. so i wouldn't say i'm tight. i get on just well with my neighbours and will always take some time to chat with them.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Lie and tell them we don't have wifi b/c we're afraid of medical effects.

 

[Gravy Boat]

You can't really avoid dealing with car accidents if it does unfortunately happen to you. You can avoid giving out your WiFi password.



I already said I'd help them, but I'm not going to be an idiot about it when a Guest Hotspot takes like a minute to setup.

That's fine. I'm just saying there are a bunch of reasonable reasons for not doing it. Worry that they may download a bunch of child porn and get you sent to prison is not a reasonable worry. Anyone who uses that as their first and foremost reason is incredibly paranoid.

It's like if a stranger asks to borrow your phone. Lots of legit excuses to say no (I'm busy, I'm waiting on an important call, my battery Is low etc), but saying no because they might use it to groom a child isn't reasonable and you are being paranoid if that's you're reasoning for saying no.

Again, not everyone thinks like that but my point was I've seen this attitude a lot from GAF. The 'I won't help you in case the most extreme thing imagineable happens' train of thought just seems like a sad way to live. Like the people who said (in another thread) that if they saw a child in immediate danger that they could prevent, they wouldn't do anything about it in case they got in trouble. It's just something I've noticed, a lot of people on GAF use the least likely, most extreme reasoning for not helping others and it just confuses me so much. I can't imagine going through life assuming the absolute worst will happen any time you do something nice for someone.

But this is more of a tangent than a direct response to this thread.

 

[Moose Biscuits]

Setup a guest IP with limited bandwidth and no access to dodgy sites with a daily time limit.

No need to be so tight. Im sure he'd do you a favour if you ever needed one.

This guys, is how you make friends. Give it a try.

Sounds like a load of hassle. I don't want to make friends.

 

[Jeronimo Jones]

No stranger has ever asked but they'd get a no anyway. Friends and family only if necessary.

 

[jts]

Some people just have no social skills at all, like your neighbour.

I guess I'd let my neighbour use the wi-fi as a time-limited thing. Like "when are you getting connected? I can let you for a week but I'd prefer to not go beyond that. It hurts the speed and hits the downloads". There are some risks obviously, but I don't think you can be accused of something shady just because it went through your wi-fi. It needs to be pinpointed to the person who did it (depending on how serious it is) and be found evidence of it relating it to that person.

Also depends on how the network is setup. Some routers have nice guest modes. But that's more pertaining to network security than internet shady stuff.

This one time I was in between internet connections and got cut off for some weeks, so I used a tool to reverse engineer a nearby SSID in order to find its default password. It was a common (stupid) exploit that a very common router model/make given out by the ISPs used to have. At some point the owner found out and changed it all. The SSID changed to something like "FREEWIFI_|_". Fucker haha.

 

[retroman]

https://www.google.com.au/search?num=20&q="pretty+fly+for+a+wifi"

lol, never mind then

 

[Hazmat]

Setup a guest IP with limited bandwidth and no access to dodgy sites with a daily time limit.

No need to be so tight. Im sure he'd do you a favour if you ever needed one.

This guys, is how you make friends. Give it a try.

I will absolutely do anything to help a neighbor with something that they need. I will not go out of my way to give them something that they want. Wifi for a day or two is a want, not a need.

 

[FSLink]

That's fine. I'm just saying there are a bunch of reasonable reasons for not doing it. Worry that they may download a bunch of child porn and get you sent to prison is not a reasonable worry. Anyone who uses that as their first and foremost reason is incredibly paranoid.

It's like if a stranger asks to borrow your phone. Lots of legit excuses to say no (I'm busy, I'm waiting on an important call, my battery Is low etc), but saying no because they might use it to groom a child isn't reasonable and you are being paranoid if that's you're reasoning for saying no.

Makes sense to me. There's a difference between lending (isolated network) and basically giving them free reign over your WiFi. Much like there's a difference between lending them your phone for a phone call and letting them use your phone whenever they want. It's not unreasonable that people are uncomfortable with the latter especially with the lending WiFi example there ARE some higher risks with it, even if very unlikely.

Just setup a proper goddamn guest hotspot or just say no.

Not gonna address the GAF thing since GAF isn't a hivemind and it's kinda off topic anyway.

I will absolutely do anything to help a neighbor with something that they need. I will not go out of my way to give them something that they want. Wifi for a day or two is a want, not a need.

Yeah, and although it can be argued internet access is a necessity, as others pointed out there's alternatives (school, library), and there's a difference between letting him use your internet for a sec to check an e-mail vs just letting him browse who knows what from his apartment.

 

[mug]

I use enterprise equipment that'll actually allow me to create a separate guest network with a pay option splash page. So far only one person has paid and I throttle their connection to 2mbps and put up web filtering to prevent porn/illegal material.

 

[Drencrom]

You did the right thing OP

Also, who the fuck starts asking their new neighbors for shit before even introducing themselves?

Setup a guest IP with limited bandwidth and no access to dodgy sites with a daily time limit.

No need to be so tight. Im sure he'd do you a favour if you ever needed one.

This guys, is how you make friends. Give it a try.

You'd put yourself at risk and go through all that work for a guy that just knocks on your door and doesn't introduce himself?

 

[HStallion]

Takes even less to keep it as is and just give them a fake password.

If you're going to do it, you gotta commit.

 

[Deleted member 325805]

If he were to download illegal shit on your WiFi it's on your ass right? I wouldn't give my password to anyone who isn't family.

 

[zeemumu]

The only people who ask to use the wifi are people who were already invited into my home for some reason or another, and if they don't ask I'll and I see them constantly on their phone or something I'll usually offer to let them use it because most of my friends do the same for me

 

[jts]

If he were to download illegal shit on your WiFi it's on your ass right? I wouldn't give my password to anyone who isn't family.

I think it depends. I'm pretty sure the Amir0x kind of stuff needs to be caught in the possession of actual individuals, otherwise the liability of just having a wifi (that can always be hacked into or the password found out in other ways) would be HUGE.

But for piracy stuff I think you can be notified just for something being downloaded from your connection yeah, not sure though. I guess you can always try to claim it was not you but you would have to prove it.

 

[darkinstinct]

We have a new neighbor that moved in yesterday. I've seen him a couple of times, but he never introduced himself or said hello. Today, my fiance and I came home, shut the door and began to close the blinds. At this point someone was banging at the door. It was our new neighbor and he asked how we're doing and then asked if he can use our wifi because he is a college student and his isn't connected yet. During this exchange, he did not introduce himself, shake a hand or anything. I flat out told him no. I thought it was incredibly rude.

GAF, has anyone asked to use your wifi and would of you given your password to a person that cannot even say his name to you?

Hell no.

 

[Fbh]

You did the right thing OK.

Friends and family are fine but I'd never give my wifi password to strangers

 

[dreamcastmaster]

same thing happened to me. this guy moved into an apartment in the same building. he appeared quite friendly and would always stop to talk to me. seemed like a nice enough guy and i would say hi and have a quick little chat with him if we passed each other leaving building.

one day he was at my door and asked if he could use our internet. i refused to give him the password. i would never give out my wifi password to anyone except close friends if they were in my house.

after a few months i stopped seeing him. i just assumed he moved out but according to our other neighbour who is also a good friend they said that his house got raided and he was arrested for a certain illegal type of porn (i feel horrible just typing what kind it was).

so yeep bullet dodged there. he'd have probably tried downloading that stuff through my internet if i had gave him the password and then it'd be me in deep shit.

That's fine. I'm just saying there are a bunch of reasonable reasons for not doing it. Worry that they may download a bunch of child porn and get you sent to prison is not a reasonable worry. Anyone who uses that as their first and foremost reason is incredibly paranoid.

Literally just 11 post before this there is a first hand account of someone doing exactly what you are saying people are just paranoid about. The sample size of people reading this topic is small. Yet you still call people paranoid.

 

[RMI]

you made the right call OP. Alternatively, just write out a string of like 45 digits, letters, numbers, multiple repeats, Os next to 0s etc, and hand them that on a strip of paper, then just insist they are typing it in wrong every time.

Visiting friends? Sure. I'd never have allowed that guy access though.

basically my policy.