HOTSPOTS

FIND HOTSPOTS BEFORE YOU HIT THE ROAD

The Annoyance:

I spend more time in airports and hotel rooms than I do at home. I'd like to access HotSpots wherever I travel, but finding a HotSpot on the road is about as easy as finding a good sushi bar in Saskatchewan.

The Fix:

Before you hit the road, check these online HotSpot finders: http://www.wi-fihotspotlist.com, http://www.wifinder.com, http://www.wifimaps.com, and http://www.jiwire.com. They'll help you find free as well as for-pay HotSpots. If you're looking for only free HotSpots, head to http://www.wififreespot.com.

FIND HOTSPOTS WITHOUT A LAPTOP

Tired of having to turn on your laptop whenever you need to find out whether there's a functioning WiFi network nearby? Kensington's nifty little $25 handheld WiFi Finder would seem to offer relief. With a push of a button, it supposedly can find a nearby HotSpot in a flash. Alas, reviewers have not been kind to this widget. In a CNET review (http://reviews.cnet.com/Kensington_WiFi_Finder/4505-3243_7-30468829.html), Jim Aspinwall notes that the device is unreliable, won't detect 802.11g networks, and mistakes Bluetooth for WiFi. In short, think twice before snapping up one of these devicesat least until reliability improves.

You can also combine the power of Google's location search with the JiWire search to locate HotSpots near any zip code, street, or any other location, complete with a map. Go to http://labs.google.com/location, and type jiwire in the "Search terms" box. In the "Street address, city, or zip" box, type in the location and press Enter (or click the Google Search button). You'll get a list of HotSpots near the location, with addresses, directions, related web links, and more (Figure 3-13). With a click, you can summon a map with the locations neatly pinpointed.

Figure 3-13. Combine the power of a Google location search with the JiWire HotSpot finder to find HotSpot locations where you'll be traveling.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOTSPOT PROVIDER

The Annoyance:

I'm tired of always scrounging around for free-access HotSpots. I'm ready to take the plunge and pay for HotSpots. How can I find one that'll give me access whenever I want it, wherever I go (within reason), without putting a serious dent in my bank account?

The Fix:

There's no one-size-fits-all solution when choosing a Wireless Internet service provider (WISP). You'll have to balance price, connection speed, the number of HotSpots the WISP has, and whether you need to access HotSpots close to home or when you're out of town.

For close-to-home use, look for local or regional WISPsthey tend to be less expensive than national WISPs, and they may offer extra benefits as well. For example, Ottawa Wireless (http://www.ottawawireless.net) covers the city of Grand Haven, Michigan, and costs $24.99 per month. You can use it not just when you're roaming around town, but inside your home as well. Not a bad deal for 256-kbps access.

If you travel widely and need HotSpots in many different locations, you'll need a national service, or a WISP aggregatorthe latter bundles access to HotSpots from different companies. Boingo (http://www.boingo.com), for example, gives you access to 8,500 HotSpots nationwide from many providers, including Wayport and Surf and Sip. Pricing is pretty reasonable: $21.95 a month for unlimited access for the first year, and $39.95 per month thereafter.

T-Mobile (http://www.t-mobile.com/hotspot) has over 4,200 locations offering T1-type speeds, at places such as Starbucks, Kinkos, and Borders Books. They offer a variety of pricing plans, including $19.99 per month for T-Mobile cell phone subscribers, $29.99 per month for unlimited access for noncell phone subscribers, and per day, per month, and metered plans. Wayport (http://www.wayport.com) has more than 3,000 HotSpots, primarily at hotels and airports, and even at some McDonald's restaurants. Wayport charges $29.95 per month for unlimited access and offers a variety of prepaid, per-connection, and month-to-month plans. Surf and Sip, which is big in Internet cafes, hotels, and restaurants, offers a $20 per month annual membership plan, plus a variety of daily, weekly, and monthly plans. As this book went to press, it was available at 400 locations, with 300 more on the way.

PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE HOTSPOTS

Increasingly, you'll find HotSpots just about everywhere you goin cafes, airports, apartment buildings, and outside people's homes. Some of these are "public" HotSpots, to which anyone can connect, and others are "private," to which only certain people are allowed to connect.

Bear in mind that a public HotSpot isn't necessarily free. For example, the T-Mobile HotSpots you find in Starbucks coffee shops across the country are all public HotSpots, but you have to pay to use them. You may find free public HotSpots too, in some cafes or in downtown areas.

Private HotSpots, on the other hand, are not meant to be used by anyone except the people who own them. For example, if you have a WiFi network at home, the signal may reach beyond your house. In essence, you've created a HotSpot, but it certainly isn't a public one!

As in real estate, the key to choosing a HotSpot provider is location, location, location. If a WISP has a lot of HotSpots, but they're not in places you visit, there's no point in signing up. Here's where to go to find out where each major HotSpot provider has locations:

• T-Mobile: http://locations.hotspot.t-mobile.com

• Boingo: http://www.boingo.com/search.html

• Wayport: http://www.wayport.net/locations

• Surf and Sip: http://www.surfandsip.com/location.htm

Finally, find out if your cell phone company or existing dial-up or broadband ISP offers a wireless package. Verizon DSL users, for example, can get free access to Verizon's HotSpots. T-Mobile gives HotSpot discounts to its cell phone subscribers, and if Comcast Internet cable customers sign up for a $9.99 T-Mobile HotSpot Day Pass, they get a free day pass to T-Mobile's network once a month for a year.

HOTSPOT GONE COLD

The Annoyance:

I did everything rightI checked ahead of time to find a HotSpot, I made sure my WiFi card was working and configured properly, and I ordered a piping hot latte, which is essentially the price of admission for this HotSpot. But when I turned on my laptop and tried to connect to the HotSpot, nothing happened. How can I turn this cold spot into a HotSpot?

The Fix:

Several things may prevent you from connecting to a HotSpot. Try these steps:

• Make sure the HotSpot is actually working. Free HotSpots frequently go on the fritz. Double-click the wireless connection icon in the System Tray and choose Properties Wireless Networks. Look in the "Available networks section. If you don't see a network listed, the HotSpot isn't available. If you do see a network listed, but there's a red X across it or the tower icon next to it doesn't have the small circle around its top indicating that it's transmitting, either the network signal is too weak or the network is offline. If you use XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), click the wireless connection icon in the Windows System Tray and click View Wireless Networks. If you don't see a wireless network on the screen that appears, one isn't available.

• Manually connect again. Highlight the HotSpot in the "Available networks" section of the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box, and click the Configure button. In the "Wireless network properties" dialog box (shown in Figure 3-14), make sure the "Data encryption (WEP enabled)" box is unchecked, unless the HotSpot requires encryption. Click OK, then click OK again. If you use XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), click the wireless connection icon in the Windows System tray and click View Wireless Networks. From the screen that appears, highlight the network to which you want to connect, and click Connect.

  Figure 3-14. If you're connecting to a public HotSpot, you probably won't need encryption. But if you're connecting to a private HotSpot, encryption might be required, so check with the owner and then fill in the necessary information.

  
  
  

• Use encryption if the HotSpot requires it. Public HotSpots don't use encryption, but private HotSpots do. If you're trying to use a private HotSpot, first get all the information about it, including the WEP key. Then, in the "Wireless network properties" dialog box, check the "Data encryption (WEP enabled)" box, fill in and confirm the network key, and pick a key index from the drop-down list (if the HotSpot requires it). To finish, click OK, then click OK again.

• Make sure you're using infrastructure mode. WiFi lets you connect directly to another PC, in ad hoc mode, or to a HotSpot or network, in infrastructure mode. If you're accidentally using ad hoc mode, you won't be able to connect to a WiFi network. In the "Wireless network properties" dialog box, make sure the "This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used" box is not checked.

• Move closer to the HotSpot. Wireless transmissions are notoriously erratic and eccentric. You may be seated in an area with very poor transmission, so try moving to another table or seatreception there might be better.

AVAILABLE VERSUS PREFERRED NETWORKS

The Annoyance:

What's the difference between an "available" wireless network and a "preferred" wireless network? And how do "preferred" networks get to be "preferred"? I sure never told Windows I preferred themhow can it know which are my favorite ones?

The Fix:

Someone needs to sic the language police on Microsoft, because "preferred" networks are not necessarily "preferred." In the Wireless Networks tab of the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box (Figure 3-15), you'll find two sections. The top one shows you available networks, and the bottom one shows "preferred" networks. An available network is simply one that's within the range of your wireless network card. Networks show up here without you doing anything; your network card finds them. (If you're running Windows XP SP2, available networks aren't listed in the top section. Instead, click the View Wireless Networks button to go to the Wireless Network Connection page, which shows you all the available networks.)

Figure 3-15. Networks that are currently broadcasting within your PC's range are listed under "Available networks." Networks you've connected to in the past are listed under "Preferred networks."

A "preferred" network is one that you've connected to in the past. If you often connect to many different HotSpots, this listing can get pretty big. You can also manually add a network to your preferred list, even if it's currently out of your range. Here's how:

1. Click the small network icon in the Windows System Tray and select the Wireless Networks tab.

2. Click the Add button, and fill in the required information for the network, including its SSID; whether it uses WEP and, if it does, its WEP key information; whether it's an ad hoc network; and so on. When you're done, click OK, then click OK again.

That network will now always show up in your "Preferred networks" section. Whenever you turn on your PC with its wireless card installed, XP will look at the "Preferred networks" section and try to connect to the networks in the order they're listed.

WHY CAN'T I CONNECT TO AN "AVAILABLE" NETWORK?

The Annoyance:

A HotSpot shows up as an available network, yet no matter what I do, I can't connect to it. Doesn't "available" mean that it's ready for you to use?

The Fix:

Chances are its signal is too weak for you to make the connection. A network can show up as available even if the signal isn't strong enough for a sustained connection. Look at the small icon next to the network's name. A tower that doesn't have a small circle on top means that the signal is too weak for a connection. A tower with a small circle on top means that the signal is strong enough for a connection.

EASIER T-MOBILE HOTSPOT CONNECTIONS

The Annoyance:

I have a monthly subscription plan to T-Mobile HotSpots, and it drives me crazy having to check T-Mobile's web site for HotSpot locations before I travel. I'd also like to be able to connect to its HotSpots more quickly, without fiddling around with dialog boxes and signing onto web pages.

The Fix:

Download the free T-Mobile Connection Manager from http://client.hotspot.t-mobile.com. It maintains a constantly updated list of T-Mobile HotSpots and automatically recognizes nearby networks. When you're in a HotSpot, just run the software and it'll automatically log you in, without any extra setup.

PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY

The Annoyance:

Public WiFi HotSpots at places like coffee shops and airports are notoriously insecurethey don't use encryption, so whatever you do is open to snoopers. How can I protect myself?

The Fix:

Because public HotSpots don't use wireless security technology, you'll have to take matters into your own hands. For the most security, sign up for a wireless virtual private network (VPN). Wireless VPNs encrypt any information that's sent or received by your PC when you're on a HotSpot, so you can't be snooped on. HotSpotVPN (http://www.hotspotvpn.com) is one excellent choice. It's simple to set up and use, and it costs $8.88 a month. To use it, go to the site, sign up, and follow the instructions for installing a VPN. (For instructions on how to set up a VPN, turn to "Protect Yourself with a Virtual Private Network" in Chapter 9.) You won't need to download any software to use the service; XP's built-in VPN software is all you need.

Of course, if you don't use public HotSpots frequently, $8.88 a month is clearly overkill. But you can still take the following security measures, and they won't cost you a penny:

• Only send your name and password over a secure logon connection. When you use for-pay HotSpots such as T-Mobile's, you have to enter your username and password to log on. You launch your browser, and a login page pops up. Most HotSpots encrypt this information, but nothing else. But some HotSpots may not even encrypt the logon, which means nearby snoopers can easily capture your username and password and run up a sizable bill on your account. Only log on if the site tells you on the opening web page that it's secure and if the URL starts with https://, which means it's using SSL encryption technology.

• Use a personal firewall. This will prevent anyone from connecting to your PC unless you want them to. The best one, ZoneAlarm, is available for free from http://www.zonealarm.com. You can also use Windows XP's built-in Windows Firewall. For more details, see Chapter 9.

• Turn off file sharing. You don't need to share files with fellow latte lovers, so disable this feature. To turn it off in Windows XP, open Windows Explorer, right-click on the drive or folders you normally share, chose Sharing and Security, and uncheck the "Share this folder on the network" box.

• Avoid ad hoc mode. In wireless ad hoc mode, snoopers can connect directly to your PC without your knowledge and can browse your hard disk if you've enabled network file sharing. To disable ad hoc mode, double-click the wireless connection icon in the System Tray, choose Properties Wireless Networks, highlight your connection, and choose Configure. In the "Wireless network properties dialog box, make sure the "This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used" box is unchecked.

GET TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR HOTSPOT WOES

The Annoyance:

I love wireless computing and lattes, but let's face itthe tech support you get at cafes is limited to "Do you want a tall or grande?" When the cafe's HotSpot tanks (or my laptop has a problem), where can I turn?

The Fix:

Take along the tech support numbers for your HotSpot provider. True, you might be kept on hold while waiting for a technician, but you can at least have a few cuppas while you wait. Here are the tech support phone numbers for the top HotSpot providers who may well be providing wireless services for your local cafe. Email addresses are included as well, although if you can't connect, they won't help you much:

• Boingo: [phone], [e-mail]

• Surf and Sip: [phone], [e-mail]

• T-Mobile : [phone], [e-mail] (Note: T-Mobile hides its tech support option when you call its 800 number. When you dial in, you're told to press 1, 2, or 3 on your phone to get to various T-Mobile services. None of them offers HotSpot technical support. To get to the hidden technical support, you must press 5 on your phone, even though you're not given that option when you dial in. Strange but true.)

• Verizon: [phone] (Note: When you call, ask to be sent to the general tech support line for all Verizon products; otherwise, you may be transferred several times until you end up at the right place.)

• Wayport: [phone], [e-mail]

CURE HOTSPOT AMNESIA

The Annoyance:

Whenever I come back home after using a HotSpot network, I can't reconnect to my own WiFi home network. Instead, my PC keeps trying to hook up to the last HotSpot I used while I was traveling.

The Fix:

The HotSpot you connected to outside your home has essentially jumped the queue in your "Preferred networks" list. To fix the problem, you must tell your PC to look for your home network first, before it searches for any other HotSpot:

1. In the Windows System Tray, double-click on the small wireless network icon.

2. Go to the Wireless Networks tab of the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box. (Note: To get to the Wireless Network Connection Properties dialog box in SP2, click the small wireless network icon in the Windows System Tray, click View Wireless Networks, click Change advanced settings, then click the Wireless Networks tab.)

3. In the "Preferred networks" section of the dialog box, highlight your home wireless network. Click the "Move up" button until it's at the top of the list (Figure 3-16). Then click OK.

Your PC should now automatically connect to your home network whenever you return home.

Figure 3-16. If your PC keeps trying to connect to a HotSpot instead of your home network, move your network to the top of the "Preferred networks" list.

HOTSPOT, COLD EMAIL

The Annoyance:

Whenever I try to send email from my favorite HotSpot, I get an error message from my ISP telling me that it won't send it. Why am I paying the HotSpot for Internet access and my ISP for mail service if I can't send email?

The Fix:

Because of widespread spam problems, some ISPs won't let you send email using their SMTP servers unless you're on their network. When you're using a HotSpot, you're not on their network, so they refuse to let you send mail. (For a similar conundrum facing those on the road, see "Can't Send Email from the Road" in Chapter 1.)

To get around the problem, some HotSpot providers have their own SMTP servers that you can use to send mail. When you use those HotSpots, you'll have to change your email account settings to reflect their SMTP server settings.

SMTP server settings for the major HotSpot providers are:

• T-Mobile: myemail.t-mobile.com

• Boingo: mail.boingo.com

• Wayport: mail.wayport.net

• Surf and Sip: mail.surfandsip.net

You shouldn't run across this problem with Verizon HotSpots, because they are only available to Verizon customers, who already use a Verizon SMTP server.

You can also pay to use an SMTP relay service so that you can send mail from any HotSpot, even if the HotSpot provider doesn't have an SMTP server. SMTP.com (http://www.smtp.com) will let you use its SMTP servers for $49.99 per year, unless you send more than 50 emails a day. In that case, the price goes up, based on how many messages you send.

Here's how to set up Outlook and Outlook Express to use the SMTP servers.

Outlook 2003

1. Choose Tools E-mail Account View or change existing e-mail accounts, and select the email account you plan to use at the HotSpot.

2. Write down the name of the existing outgoing SMTP mail server. You'll need this information later, when you change back to your original settings after you leave the HotSpot.

3. In the "Outgoing mail server (SMTP)" box, enter the name of the HotSpot's SMTP server (see Figure 3-17).

   Figure 3-17. If you can't send email from your HotSpot, configure Outlook to use your HotSpot's SMTP server, using this screen.

   
   
   

4. Click the More Settings button, then click Outgoing Server.

5. On the screen that appears, click "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication." Select "Log on using," and enter your HotSpot username and password where indicated. (If you have trouble sending mail with these settings, try it without using a username and password.)

6. Click OK, Next, and then Finish.

You should now be able to send email while connected to the HotSpot.

Outlook Express

1. Choose Tools Accounts, select the Mail tab, click the Properties button, then click the Servers tab.

2. In the "Outgoing mail (SMTP)" box, enter the name of the HotSpot's SMTP server.

3. Check the "My server requires authentication" box and click the Settings button.

4. On the screen that appears, select "Log on using," and enter your HotSpot account name and password where indicated. (If you have trouble sending mail with these settings, try it without using a username and password.)

5. Click OK, then OK again, and then Close.

You should now be able to send email when you're connected to the HotSpot.

GO WAR DRIVING FOR HOTSPOTS

The Annoyance:

I just know there are wireless networks and HotSpots practically everywhere I go, but I have no idea how to find them. Isn't there a simple way to use my laptop as a HotSpot detector?

The Fix:

Ah, you're ready to do a little "war driving," as it's called. There is a way, with a free program called Network Stumbler (Figure 3-18), available from http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/. Network Stumbler checks for any WiFi network in range of your network card and gives you all the details for connecting to it, including its SSID, the manufacturer of the access point, the channel on which it's broadcasting, the signal strength, the signal-to-noise ratio, and whether the network's encryption is enabled, among other details. (If a network uses encryption, a small lock appears next to it.)

Figure 3-18. Network Stumbler can help you find WiFi networks within range of your wireless card.

Look for any networks that aren't encrypted, and once you've found one, copy down its SSID. Then exit Network Stumbler, double-click the small wireless network icon in the Windows System Tray, and choose Properties Wireless Networks. If the network Network Stumbler found isnt listed here, click the Refresh button. The network should show up (if it doesn't, its signal is probably too weak for you to connect). To connect to it, click the Configure button and fill out the required information. You'll then be able to connect to the network.

Network Stumbler won't work with some WiFi cards. It does work with Lucent Technologies's WaveLAN/IEEE (Proxim Orinoco); Dell's TrueMobile 1150 Series (PCMCIA and mini-PCI); Avaya's Wireless PC Card; Toshiba's Wireless LAN Card (PCMCIA and built-in); Compaq's WL110; Cabletron/Enterasys's Roamabout; Elsa's Airlancer MC-11; Artem's ComCard 11Mbps; IBM's High Rate Wireless LAN PC Card; and 1stWave's 1ST-PC-DSS11IS, DSS11IG, DSS11ES, and DSS11EG. For more details, download the release notes from the Network Stumbler web page.

Where To Get War-Driving Maps

Some people have made it a hobby of sorts to drive through cities and suburbs using Network Stumbler in search of WiFi networks. The software lets you save all the information you find in a file, which you can upload to WiFiMaps (http://wifimaps.com). Visit the site and you can get HotSpot maps (like the one in Figure 3-19) by city, state, zip code, or even by specific SSID or MAC address. You can zoom in and out on these maps, so you can see WiFi networks on individual streets or step back and see the concentration of WiFi networks in a metropolitan area.

Figure 3-19. A sample WiFi map from wifimaps.com.

GO WAR DRIVING WITH YOUR POCKET PC

The Annoyance:

I don't use a laptop. I have a Pocket PC with a WiFi card. How can I war drive with this setup?

The Fix:

Pocket PC owners aren't left behind. There's a version of Network Stumbler (discussed in "Go War Driving for HotSpots"), called MiniStumbler, that works the same way. And there's a similar caveatit won't work with all WiFi cards or all versions of the Pocket PC.

CONNECT TO THE RIGHT HOTSPOT

The Annoyance:

On the Cambridge/Somerville line where I live, there's a HotSpot war of sorts going on among the cafes. Two are directly across the street from each other. There's also a free HotSpot down the block. My problem is that when I sit down at a cafe, I want to connect to the HotSpot with the strongest connection. But my laptop, with a twisted mind of its own, often automatically connects to the weakest one. What can I do?

The Fix:

When there is more than one available network nearby, your laptop doesn't opt for the network with the strongest connection. Instead, it connects to whichever nearby network is listed closest to the top of your "Preferred networks" list. (For more information about preferred networks, see "Available Versus Preferred Networks".)

There's no automated way to tell XP to look for the strongest available network. Your best bet is to install Network Stumbler (discussed in "Go War Driving for HotSpots"), look at each network's signal strength, and then manually connect to the strongest. In NetStumbler, any network with a green circle next to it is a strong connection; yellow means sporadic and weaker, and red or grey means extremely weak.

STOP HOTSPOT "STUTTERING"

The Annoyance:

When I'm near several HotSpots, and most are weak, my connection "stutters" and jumpswhen one connection fades out, XP automatically connects me to another one, then that one stutters, and XP jumps to another connection, and so on. With all this disconnecting and reconnecting going on, I can't get any work done. Can't I just connect to one HotSpot, and leave it at that?

The Fix:

Your problem is caused by the very thing that allows you to easily connect to HotSpotsXP's Windows Zero Configuration (WZC) applet, which runs automatically on startup. WZC looks for a new network connection every three minutes, and if at that point your current connection fades out, it will search for a new one and automatically connect to it. That's why you get the stuttering and jumping.

The fix is to disable WZC after you've made a connectionthat way, you can stay with your one connection, even as it fades in and out. But you'll want to enable WZC again after you're done, so that the next time you want to connect to a HotSpot or your home WiFi network, it will do its job.

To temporarily disable WZC, select Start Run, type Figure 3-20. To stop Windows from hopping from one HotSpot to another in search of a stronger connection, temporarily turn off the service that automatically detects and connects to wireless networks.

If you expect to do this a lot, create a desktop shortcut for stopping WZC and another for starting it up again. Here's how:

1. In Windows Explorer, go to C:\Windows\System32.

2. Drag the file Net.exe to the desktop. Right-click it and select Create Shortcut.

3. Give the shortcut a nameright-click it, select Rename, and call it "Halt WZC."

4. Right-click the shortcut again, choose Properties, and click the Shortcut tab. The target field will read something like C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\net.exe.

5. Replace this with C:\WINDOWS\system32\net.exe, enter a space, and then type stop wzcsvc and click OK. The contents of the target field should now be "C:\WINDOWS\system32\net.exe stop wzcsvc."

Repeat these steps to create a shortcut for starting WZC. Name it "Start WZC," and type C:\WINDOWS\system32\net.exe start wzcsvc in the target field.

Whenever you want to stop WZC, double-click the Halt WZC shortcut. To start WZC again, double-click the Start WZC shortcut (Figure 3-21).

Figure 3-21. Create a shortcut to halt WZC so that you can easily turn it off; create another one to start WZC so that you can easily turn it back on.

TAPPING INTO A PRIVATE HOTSPOTLEGAL OR NOT?

The Annoyance:

I've found several convenient HotSpots in my area. There's only one problem: none of them are public; they're people's private networks. I'd like to use their bandwidth when I need it, but I don't know the legalities or etiquette involved. Where's Miss Mannersor Matlockwhen you need them?

The Fix:

The legalities involved with using someone else's bandwidth without his knowledge are murky, but it's most likely illegal. State laws generally prohibit accessing other people's networks without authorization, but is it a crime to merely hop on to use their Internet access, if you're not actually snooping through the networks, gathering information and using network servers? That's why God created lawyersand the legalities will vary from state to state.

However, most law seems to consider it illegal. Bob Hillery, senior security consultant and partner in the security firm IntelGuardians.com, has done a great deal of research on the issue, and he notes that both state and federal legislation may apply. For example, it is probably considered a theft of services, in the same way that it's illegal to tap into cable TV or satellite TV without paying for it. His conclusion: "It is inappropriate, if not explicitly illegal, to snitch bandwidth from a network for which you do not know you have authorized access." However, he also notes that at least one state, New Hampshire, has passed a law saying that the owners of the WiFi networks have some responsibilities. The owners must issue a warning of some kind that their networks are private, and they must take steps to stop intruders if they want to prosecute people for breaking into their networks. But the law mostly applies to businesses, not people at home.

As a practical matter, while it may possibly be illegal, you're not likely to be prosecuted for using someone else's bandwidth. As for the etiquette, that's something completely different. Just as you wouldn't walk unannounced into the home of a stranger who left the front door open, you shouldn't use someone else's bandwidth without asking. So check with the person first, ask if it's OK, and, if you do use his bandwidth, don't use it for downloading large files (such as MP3s) unless you ask first.

FORGET HOTSPOTSUSE YOUR BLUETOOTH CELL PHONE!

The Annoyance:

WiFi, schmi-fiwhy should I pay someone to use a HotSpot if I have a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone that can access the Internet?

The Fix:

You don't have toif you have a laptop with Bluetooth capabilities. And as you can see in the sidebar "Bluetooth-Enable Your Laptop," it's easy to enable any laptop with Bluetooth. You'll use the laptop/cell phone duo to connect to your ISP.

Bluetooth-Enable Your Laptop

If your laptop doesn't have Bluetooth capabilities, you're not out of luckthey're exceptionally easy to add. All you need is a USB Bluetooth adapter. Companies such as D-Link, Keyspan, Belkin, and many others sell them, often for around $30. Just plug the little device into your USB port, follow the installation instructions, and you'll be set.

Here's how to connect to the Internet with a Sony Ericsson T68i Bluetooth-enabled phone. The steps with other Bluetooth-enabled cell phones should be very similar:

1. Turn on your cell phone and make sure it's within range of your laptop.

2. Turn on the phone's Bluetooth. On the Sony Ericsson T68i, press the joystick button and select Connect Bluetooth Options Operation Mode On.

3. Bluetooth Discoverable.

4. Right-click the Dial-up Networking service, and select Connect Dial-up Networking (Figure 3-22). You'll be asked whether you want to accept or decline the connection, or "add to paired." Pairing the phone and the computer will let you make the connection in the future without going through the discovery process outlined above, so it's a good idea to select the "add to paired" option.

   Figure 3-22. After you discover your cell phone's Bluetooth services, right-click the Dial-up Networking icon and choose Connect Dial-up Networking to connect to the Internet.

   
   
   

5. In the screen that appears (Figure 3-23), make up a PIN and enter it to pair your phone with your computer. You'll have to enter the same PIN code on your phone.

   Figure 3-23. Pair your phone and laptop to make connecting the two via Bluetooth easier the next time.

   
   
   

6. Click OK, and in the dialog box that appears, enter the information you normally use to connect to your ISP, including your username, password, and phone number. Click the Dial button, and you'll be connected to your ISP. Those who have used this method of connecting report reliable connections. The exact speed you'll get varies according to the precise technology your cell phone uses. You'll get 20 to 40 kbps with a GSM/GPRS cell phone, 20 to 150 kbps with EDGE, about 50 to 120 kbps with CDMA 1xRTT, and from 300 to 500 kbps with CDMA 1xEV-DO. If you don't know which technology your cell phone uses, check with your cell phone carrier.