Open wi-fi: comments

I was greatly cheered to see a signboard outside a rural Maine library last month declaring that the library is now a wi-fi hot spot at all times, not just when the library is open. Like post offices that provide access to P.O. boxes 24/7 simply by leaving the outer lobby unlocked, libraries can easily provide Internet access 24/7 (to anyone with a laptop) at no additional cost to themselves. Putting a sign up saying so helps out anyone driving by, and certainly clarifies whether it’s ok to use their wi-fi.


Photo by Michael

I used open wi-fi networks when I was traveling, back before anyone suggested that it would somehow be wrong to do so. I run an open wi-fi network at home because it makes it easier for myself and my friends to connect to it, but I certainly wouldn’t mind if someone driving by used it to check their e-mail. Since it’s a home network with limited capacity, I’d prefer that it not be used for steady high-bandwidth uploading and downloading by passing strangers—that should be common courtesy. If my router made it easy to do so, I’d probably enforce that by offering unlimited bandwidth to listed computers and limited bandwidth to unlisted computers.