BT encourages people to share their home Wi-fi !

[Nottingham Nick]

According to this article in the Times, Homeowners are being encouraged to let strangers piggy back onto their wi-fi internet connections. [:?]

I read last week that someone had been arrested for doing this (without permission). I am totally confused. [?]

How will wi-fi users know if they are piggy backing with permission or not?

Nick

Saw that article too, think you need to have a specific BT broadband router though as they end up sharing only part of your network. Advantage is that you then get free wi-fi access when you are on the move too which will be good if they can get decent UK coverage. I am wanadoo though so cannot sign up as it could have saved me a fortune in roaming wi-fi access costs.

[mitchja]

There's a bit more info about this here and it's all about sharing, ie if you allow to share your BT Homehub with other FON users, you (as a FON user) then get a share of all other FON users WiFi signals.

The system only allows other FON users access to your WiFi signal though. More about the security here

It will only work if you have BT Broadband and you have a BT Homehub though. I've never been keen on the BT Homehub idea, as it's locked down to BT broadband and BT control what updates the routers gets.

Regards

[Bazz]

As has been said Nick, it is an selective opting in scheme not a blanket thing so I guess the current legislation would not effect people operating withing the scheme.

[Nottingham Nick]

The more I read about it the more I understand, but I still think it will create an enforcement nightmare.

As I understand it, previous attempts at enforcing the legislation have resulted from householders complaining about people hanging about outside their properties using computers in cars etc.

People will still complain - not knowing that their neighbour is happy to share their connection, and cops will be expected the know the difference between FON users and illegal piggybacking. [8D]

Not exactly what I would term 'best use of police resources'.

Nick

Originally posted by Nottingham Nick
and cops will be expected the know the difference between FON users and illegal piggybacking. [8D]

Not exactly what I would term 'best use of police resources'.

Nick

True, never thought about that. And anybody found illegally connected to a network could claim they thought it was a FON shared network so it was just an honest mistake gov.

I signed up to FON a while back as I found a few FON access points around me in Seoul. The concept looks perfectly good:

Sign up for paid access, and roam around all the FON access points, or sign up to share your home BB, and then get free roaming.

Basically with or without BT you can sign up for a FON router to share your BB. The FON router handles all security and leaves your private wifi secure and untouched (I beleive you end up broadcasting (or not) two seperate SSID's).
Any outside user looking to connect to your FON router will see a FON type SSID and when they are connected to this are presented with a webpage not too dissimilar to a hotel BB login page. Where you either enter your login details or are directed towards the FON sign up website.

Now, whether your ISP other than BT lets you share via FON is a different matter - though technically you are not reselling their service.

There's a boring but interesting book "Digital Korea" that talks about this - marks South Korea out as the world's leading online place and Wi-Fi sharing is a feature of that. Is that what you allude to Simon?

Only one thing would worry me (and I think it's a great idea to share in a bartering I give a bit and get a bit back way) is whether BT's security is strong enough to understand whether a sharer has used your broadband for access to illegal content. Even if you wanted to block adult sites for example, many people would turn that off because the blocking is so random and low-end (e.g. Vodafone blocks the National Lottery and many gossip blocks as "adult" sites).

I heard alledgedly that many internet sex site users (including the worst kind) share their networks as a sort of potential plea activity - i.e. "wasn't me guv" so hope this wouldn't support that even more.

Originally posted by slinky09
There's a boring but interesting book "Digital Korea" that talks about this - marks South Korea out as the world's leading online place and Wi-Fi sharing is a feature of that. Is that what you allude to Simon?

I've also heard Korea claiming be one of the worlds leading online places, and whilst it's true that the telecoms system here is first rate with fiber in to buildings superfast wired internet connections and very extensive wifi, it is only in the cities. And the wifi is not free and only has limited tie-ups with services such as iPass (unless you find the FON access points).

And all i've ever seen this technology being used for is to put digital TV on to peoples mobile phones and into their cars.

Now, the other day I thought I 'd seen it all... An in dash display screen with the SatNav on it and the TV as a "picture in picture". Tele Adicts eat your heart out!