"RG" wrote in message
news:PRlVf.14214$6a1.10052@fed1read04...

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
When you guys are out and about with your laptops, do you pay for
wi-fi?

How does that work?

I'm sort of new to public wi-fi, and don't really have a good feel as to
where the free hot spots are vs. where you have to pay to log on.
Therefore, I took a different approach and subscribed to Verizon's
wireless Broadband Access service. It's a bit expensive, but it's got
good speed and you don't have to worry about whether you're in range of a
hot spot and what the costs might be. I'll use traditional wi-fi when I
can see that I'm in a free hot spot, but the Verizon deal is a great
fallback. Plus, it allows me internet and email access at the lake.

While on vacation in Phoenix, last fall, I was able to catch WiFi hotspots
near some businesses, and also the RV park I was in. If they were
unsecured, I would use them to access the net. However, in this weeks
Rockford, IL. newspaper, there was a story that goes like this: A cop was
driving through a parking lot and observed a man sitting in a car. Got
closer and sees that he's using a laptop. Gets out to investigate and finds
the man is accessing the net on the unsecured WiFi of a not for profit
organization in the nearby building. End result..the man gets arrested for
using the WiFi without permission..pays a $250 fine. No jail time but
supposedly there is the option of up to 6 months of jail time. The paper
says this is similar to the theft of services you can get nailed with if you
use a descrambler on your dish or cable. It seems to me that if the not for
profit didn't see fit to password protect their wireless access, then by
default they are inviting anyone to use it.

Tom G.