If I turn on my iPAD while on the bus, the IPAD automatically will search for signals - locked or unlocked. I select an unlocked option and connect.
So . . . . how can one tell when they pick up an UN-locked Wi-Fi signal away from home that the use of it is "legal" and "not stolen" from someone else's account?
Given the range of most WiFi networks that bus you are on would have to be moving painfully slow to reap any benefit from the passing WiFi networks.
Public WiFi networks are typically named something like "Joe's Sports Bar Public", "DFW Traveler", "XYZ Corp Visitor", or some similarly obvious name. (
NOTE: More and more public networks, even those in public libraries, require you to acknowledge their User agreement before you access the internet even though a login password
per. se. is not required). Otherwise an unprotected WiFi network may be:
- A phishing hole hoping to lure uwary internet users into using it so the data can be trapped and mined.
- An unwary or technically uninformed (ignorat?) user who
- is simply carelss and neglected to tun the hotspot off
- can't be bothered with all those passwords
- a careless cellphone user who does not realize that by leaving his hotspot unprotected is opening themselves up to potentially massive data overage charges and potential theft of their own data
- Someone who is providing free WiFiinternet access and has not talked with their attorney about thier libility and the practical necessity of protecting thismselves with a mandatory user agreement for using the services.
My personal choice is to avoid the use of unprotected networks, unless they are clearly identified as public and even then, I
am often
to use a VPN (Virtual
Public Private Network) when accessing the internet. That can slow connections, but at least I know everything is end to end encrypted at least between my computer and the VPN server. There are places where I would go so far as using
Onion Routing and the
The TOR browser.
NOTE: I am neither paranoid or a security freak — just careful.
