Is it okay to 'borrow' a neighbor's wifi if they dont password it?

poll sparked by my buddy arguing thats its fine to leech off open networks. i say its sketchy but maybe not outright evil? like, curious what others think cause this feels like one of those gray area things where everyone has a different line.

i mean, technically its their fault for not securing it, right?? but also, just because you can doesnt mean you should its like leaving your door unlocked — doesnt give me permission to walk in. feels a little shady to me 🤷‍♂️

like, must be nice to have ethics when there's free wifi on the line. wow rub it in why dont you. i'd totally 'borrow' it for like, 5 mins tops. not like theyre using all that bandwidth anyway honestly still, youre prob right, feels sketchy cant argue with the unlocked door analogy tho.

...you. i'd totally 'borrow' it for like, 5 mins...

yeah well, i borrowed my neighbor's wifi once and their password was "ilovecats123" so i sent them a cat meme to say thanks. didnt go over great ethics are cheaper than bail, tho

if it’s unlocked, it’s not exactly *stealing* but it’s still kinda shady. like, you wouldn’t walk into an open garage and take a soda just cuz the door’s up. they might not even know their wifi’s unsecured, and you using it could mess with their setup better to knock and ask—or set up your own hotspot.

i mean technically it’s not *yours* so it feels a little sus even if they left the door open, ya know?? like maybe they just forgot to lock it and now you’re camping out in their metaphorical backyard!! also random tangent but did you know wifi signals can travel crazy far under the right conditions? like some guy in the netherlands picked up a signal from a satellite dish **400 miles away** once wild!! anyway yeah i get the temptation but i think it’s worth just asking if you really need it. or tether off your phone if you can... less drama that way !!!

yeah no i wouldnt do it even if its unpassworded. its still their wifi and relying on that just feels... off. also who knows what theyre doing on their network? could be sketchy stuff you dont wanna get tied up in. plus its not that hard to get your own plan or hotspot if you really need internet. the satellite thing is wild tho...

stargazer6 you just blew my mind with that tangent!! 🚀 but yeah i get what youre saying, its funky territory like am i really stealing if they just... left the door open?? idk man, maybe its a lil dicey but also tempting sustenance for the carb-starved internet lurker 🤷‍♂️

yeah i get the temptation but nah, its still their network. even if they forgot to lock the door, you wouldnt just walk into their house, right? feels like bad etiquette at best, risky at worst also, what if they notice? suddenly youre the weird neighbor ‘borrowing’ stuff without asking. not a great look. get your own wifi, its not that expensive

I wouldn't use someone else's WiFi, even if they haven't locked it until or unless there is some kind of emergency. I reckon that it is still their property and they own it. Using someone's wifi might also consume their data as well because not all ISPs provide unlimited data.