Is it morally wrong to use my neighbour’s wireless internet connection? If I do so, am I causing any problems for them, and could they access files on my computer?

Nearly all of this week’s respondents agreed that piggybacking on someone else’s connection wasn’t particularly honourable, but none seemed to be aware that one London resident was found guilty of this activity last summer, receiving a £500 fine and 12 months’ conditional discharge as a result. Nevertheless, it’s widespread; in the rush to get wireless networks set up, most people are so staggered at the technological leap they’ve made that they forget to put any security measures in place. As Richard Miller writes: “It’s possible that neighbours are letting you share their connection, but it’s more likely that they just left the default wireless settings unchanged.”

The odd email check or internet search would probably go unnoticed by a neighbour, but download significant amounts of data and you’ll reduce their surfing speeds, and possibly push them over their download limit for the month. Obtain copyrighted or illegal files, and you’ll put them in contravention of their agreement with their ISP. Connecting to an open wireless network also puts your own security at risk; if you have file sharing enabled but don’t have passwords in place – very common in home setups – then anyone on that network can access your shared folders. Emma Brett had such an experience: “Someone was using my connection, and I noticed he was sharing some files. Amongst them was his CV, so I contacted him, asking him to stop.” Alex Tea points out another risk: “People may have viruses on their machines which could theoretically infect other machines on the network.”

So, how do you protect against inquisitive or malicious neighbours? Wireless modems and routers offer various security options, but many of them can be cracked using information easily found on the internet – or, in some cases, by simple guesswork. “One local resident,” writes Ben Henley, “has a network catchily named ABCDEFG, with an identical password.” Richard Wolfe, from wireless specialists Digital Plumbers, advises using WPA security, which now comes as standard with new wireless modems and routers. “It’s a lot more secure,” he says, “and is generally unhackable by the average person.” It’s also worth remembering not to give your network a location-specific name, as Scott D warns: “Wireless connections can indicate to burglars that you have a laptop – so if you live at 30 Wisteria Avenue, calling it 30WISTAVE is not a great idea.” Of course, there are a few benevolent souls who leave their networks deliberately open; those desperate to browse the net free of charge could make a trip to the Cotswolds, where a chap called Andrew apparently operates a network extending to a layby on the B4077 just outside Winchcombe. See you there.

Next week’s question comes from Jason Milner: “Why are mobile phones still so terrible at retreiving and displaying even the most simple information from the internet?”