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Is it a good idea to "lend" a wifi connection?

Guady

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Posted July 28, 2011 at 10:37AM

I have a password protected wifi system. A friend who lives in the same building has asked if they can "borrow" my connection for the next 4 to 5 weeks.

What I would like to ask is:

Would allowing this slow down my own connection?

Would they be able to access my email account?

Would they be able to access my online banking, etc?

Generally, is this a safe thing to do? I'd like to help out but not if it puts my security at risk or slows down my own use of the internet etc.

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spuds

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Posted July 28, 2011 at 10:53AM

WiFi connections are being 'lent' all the time, but as you have already pointed out, security is one of the main issues. If you do not protect your service, then you will only have yourself to blame.

With regards to slowness, then this would all depend on how fast your service is at present, and how your friend intends using it. You may also need to perhaps look at your usage limitations on your own contract!.

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woodchip

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Posted July 28, 2011 at 11:34AM

Agree with the above, and no matter how good you think you know the person only he knows what he is capable of. i.e how honest he is

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wee eddie

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Posted July 28, 2011 at 12:01PM

NO way ~~~ You will be responsible for anything he, or his friends, chose to download or hack.

You will also be responsible for paying for any Overuse of your Connection ~~ Unlimited rarely really means Unlimited and extra Gigabytes can be very expensive.

You do not know that he will not pass your Password on to others and unless you change your password at the end of the period, you could end up sharing your connection with many others, longterm.

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Crosstrainer2

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Posted July 28, 2011 at 12:19PM

Under no circumstances! You are actually breaking your contract by " lending" your bandwidth. Tell your neighbour to make his / her own arrangements!

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