For the average customer looking for free access, it's getting easier all the time to find hot spots. Aside from checking the grassroots sites, there is sniffer software, usually free, that tells a Wi-Fi card in a laptop or PDA (personal digital assistant) to search for the nearest network. A more low-tech approach that has caught fire in Europe is called "warchalking," where people chalk symbols on a sidewalk or building to indicate a nearby hot spot. A simple solution to companies cracking down on shared access could be for Wi-Fi fans to vote with their wallets--and pick a high-speed Internet access provider that allows for Wi-Fi use, such as Covad or any of the smaller Web providers that have already approved Wi-Fi use, proponents say.

Adam Shand of the Personal Telco Project in Portland, Ore., said he's negotiated agreements with two small Web providers in the Portland area, "Some ISPs say, 'What, are you crazy?'" he said, "Others, say, 'Why not? If it causes a problem, we'll let you know.'", Broadband providers are threatening to cut service to customers who set up wireless systems and allow others to log on for free, Are you at risk?, Reader Resources Three gateways to Wi-FiWi-Fi routers for home or office Time Warner Cable of New York City has given 10 customers less than a week to stop using their accounts to provide a wireless local area network available to anyone within 300 feet, The letters are just an initial volley; Time Warner expects to send additional letters, while AT&T Broadband also is preparing similar letters for the great wave off kanagawa iphone case some of its customers..

The crackdown is reminiscent of the cable industry's attempts to target cable thieves in the 1980s, and it reflects the soaring popularity of wireless Net access. After being introduced just a couple years ago, so-called Wi-Fi "hot spots" that tap into cable or digital subscriber lines (DSL) are now in at least 15 million homes and offices. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.

CNET también está disponible en español, Don't show this again, "This is a big deal for us; it has never happened before," he the great wave off kanagawa iphone case said, "It's embarrassing, not to mention serious.", The company's customers include Texas A&M University, Ottawa University, Indiana Wesleyan University and almost 70 other schools, In total, the firm provides phone services for more than 100,000 students, though the problem only affects a small fraction, said Horn, Resicom provides its student customers with easy access to their records via the Web, In this case, however, access may have been too easy..

A staff member first notified his school of the problem after a friend searched for his name on the Internet and suddenly had access to a database record that included the staff member's social security number, the person said in an e-mail message to CNET News.com. On Saturday, the staff member, who asked not to be identified, contacted the dean of the school and attempted to reach the company, but to no avail. Resicom didn't get the message until Monday, Horn said. "We first heard about it this morning," he said. "We got an e-mail from a customer.".