Fear! We (and our laptops) could get thrown out of Starbucks?!

Jiro said:
in some area - it's an arrestable offense for theft of service.

WiFi freeloader arrested in Washington and I support this. I hate freeloaders.
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I agree with this comment in the article:

... is so trivial to turn on security for a home (or business) WAP, that there is no reason anyone should leave a WiFi network unprotected unless he or she really wants it to be open to all comers.
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So, I don't think people have a right to freeload, but I also think that businesses should put passwords on their wifi networks.
 
sequoias said:
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

Don't be surprised to find out some people use their wifi from outside of businesses.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they got arrested for theft of service or trespassing either.
 
sequoias said:
Some don't order starbucks products at the socials, is that freeloader to you?
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if that person is there for organized social event but didn't buy a drink.... well that's ok. It's expected that some people won't buy a product at social event and it's a business risk that business manager takes for allocating a portion of space for them that could have brought in other potential customers.

but if it's just a random person coming into Starbucks on random day and not buy anything... that's a freeloader and manager has every rights to kick him out and/or ban him if he keeps doing it.
 
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

I think the only place you can "freeload" is use wifi at the library or outdoor wifi hotspots in cities. That's probably the way you can do it without getring in trouble.
 
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

Jiro said:
sequoias said:
Some don't order starbucks products at the socials, is that freeloader to you?
Click to expand...

if that person is there for organized social event but didn't buy a drink.... well that's ok. It's expected that some people won't buy a product at social event and it's a business risk that business manager takes for allocating a portion of space for them that could have brought in other potential customers.

but if it's just a random person coming into Starbucks on random day and not buy anything... that's a freeloader and manager has every rights to kick him out and/or ban him if he keeps doing it.
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True. Not really much they can do.
 
sequoias said:
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

I think the only place you can "freeload" is use wifi at the library or outdoor wifi hotspots in cities. That's probably the way you can do it without getring in trouble.
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it's a public place already paid for by your tax so feel free to "freeload" it :)
 
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

Jiro said:
sequoias said:
Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

I think the only place you can "freeload" is use wifi at the library or outdoor wifi hotspots in cities. That's probably the way you can do it without getring in trouble.
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it's a public place already paid for by your tax so feel free to "freeload" it :)
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Yep that's right. Thanks to uncle sam lol.
 
Our main public library, the branch library, the college library and Schlotzky's all have free Wifi. I like the libraries in the daytime, the sandwich shop in the afternoon and Starbucks in the evening.
The point is, Starbucks has good drinks and free wifi, Schltozky's has nice food and the wifi and the library has the wifi for everyone, food and drinks not welcomed in most libraries. Our patronage pays for the shops overhead and the taxes pay for the library overhead. Show support and get a drink and chips or something if you are going to be there at the cafe.
 
LDNanna said:
Our main public library, the branch library, the college library and Schlotzky's all have free Wifi. I like the libraries in the daytime, the sandwich shop in the afternoon and Starbucks in the evening.
The point is, Starbucks has good drinks and free wifi, Schltozky's has nice food and the wifi and the library has the wifi for everyone, food and drinks not welcomed in most libraries. Our patronage pays for the shops overhead and the taxes pay for the library overhead. Show support and get a drink and chips or something if you are going to be there at the cafe.
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Or dress nicely, at least. :giggle:
 
@ Beowulf - awwww. Do I hafta? I did shower! Now I gotta dress nicely? Ya mean my tie dyed tee shirt and raggy jeans wont do? I was famous for that. It got me on famous folks of Wal Mart site!

Nah, Just Kiddin'. (or am I?)

Oh, OK I will dress nicely, but only for you.
 
thief307.jpg

Café Wifi: Down to The Wire
Café Wifi: Down to The Wire | BCBusiness
 
When I went to The BookEnd Cafe over the weekend, her wifi is password protected and it changed the password every day. So, anytime you come to her counter and asked for password, she asked the customer if she/he want anything to drink or eat, if he say no, then she won't give the customer password.
Ironically, just before I met this woman who know sign, I saw this thread about Starbuck on my iPhone and I happen to met her at the same time! LOL. So, I asked her opinion about Starbuck kicking customer out for not ordering anything. She did tell me not only just Wifi freeloaders, but people start sucking up their electricity!! She said that many wifi users come in and start plugging the power brick to charge up the laptop/tablet, not just to use the wifi, they are simply using it for reading or writing! So, she will keep eyes out for customers who come in just to use the electricity to charge up the laptop/tablet.... and if they did not order anything, she will kick customer out. So, it's two things involved.... using wifi or using electricity...it's not free at all!! it cost the owner money with eletric bill....so
 
Jiro said:
in some area - it's an arrestable offense for theft of service.

WiFi freeloader arrested in Washington and I support this. I hate freeloaders.
Click to expand...

:lol: I do wardriving sometime. I do not stay online for long, Just to get directions from Google Map, sending and receiving Emails or look for infomations before I head over other place. I pays for Frappicino at Starbuck and have wifi Access. I don't stay there that long. Not a problem for me.

I DO get leery when I went to Mankato, Kansas for VP installation assignment. It was a small town, 15 blocks long and wide and population of 800 peoples. Only one deaf lives there. I arrived late at night and there were no Cellular signal for my phone so I had to drive around neighborhood to find open Wireless. I found one and parked nearby. I had to make it quick before anyone would call cop on me for suspicious parking in their neighborhood late at night. I managed to get map and address of client so I closed my laptop and head off. It took me less than 5 minutes to get all info.

Sometime I went to Park and my son went for soccer practice. I got lucky that there were open Wifi near neighborhood next to Park. I spent my time browsing net for fun until my son finished his soccer practice.

My friend who live at Apartment complex where Holiday Inn Hotel next door to it. He sees some "leechers" park at Holiday inn parking and use their laptop and been there for half of day without getting caught (been doing it for years!!). They get wifi access by asking one of customer who already have access to give them SN and Password so he can log in and use it as much as he could until Hotel changes the SN or Password. You can park your vehicle on back or side of Hotel and just move yourself from driver seat to back seat without getting out of vehicle and use Wifi access as much as you could. Hotel can't keep track of many cars through security camera cuz there are Hotel customers and visitors come and go. They assumed that you left the car and went in while you are actually in back of car. Tinted windows partly wrapped around car are the best place to hide while surfing net. you use Power Inverter to run laptop charger to keep laptop running all day. It only take 100 watts or less and it does not hurt 12v battery if you are using laptop for 6 hours.

If you are in neighborhood, it's never good idea to park and sit there half of day. Neighbors would think you are spying something. I've had some people park and sit there for few hours on entrance street where my house located and it's annoying. I :squint: through window and see what they up to. I saw them using laptop and it popped in my mind if my Wifi secured (that was 5 years ago). I realized that I factory reset my Wifi Router to fix problems with Wireless adapter. I went to my desktop PC and logged in Router setup menu and added Wifi passphase then fix my laptop Wifi access with password. After that I noticed they stopped parking on side of street :lol: Today, I still see some people pulled over and park there but this time, chatting on cellphone, nothing more. :lol:

Those who do Wardriving take risks on their own. College students do find their ways around if Starbuck kicked them out, Library limit wifi time (some Libraries do), or if Hotel sending their employees around cleaning parking lot PLUS keeping eyes on "Wifi Leechers" that make student nervous. Best bet for College student are to have their friends who could afford broadband to setup Bridge with tall antenna so other student can access Wifi with their Wifi routers some distance away. Or use home made Pringles can to access wifi some distance away (it's illegal but it's worth risk if place inside of dorm or apartment out of sight of public.). Student would have to put up with slow acess just to do research, Email, ect.. I'm sure that their friend would set a rule that they can't use Online gaming or streaming games or music that can bottleneck his broadband.

Right now, my HTC EVO have Phone to Laptop tethering and I was able to get around net without worrying about Wardriving except if I'm in the area where no Cellular signal there, I would go to McDonald's, Hotels or some place that have Wifi access, OFC I would be happy to pay for drink or foods just for accessing their Wifi.. .

Catty
 
sequoias said:
Not all college students live in dorms. Some live in apartments with no internet, etc. You can't control what people are doing at Starbucks, it's their business.
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Don't college libraries have wi-fi?
 
VamPyroX said:
Don't college libraries have wi-fi?
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The college where I worked has wi-fi over the entire campus. Sometimes when I had a long break I'd use my laptop in my car while sitting in the parking lot. I've seen students using their laptops and tablets while sitting at the picnic tables and outside benches. I've even seen them walking with their laptops open and using them (not recommended; cell phone users are oblivious enough). They also have electrical outlets available for student use in the lounges, library, snack rooms, student center, and classrooms.
 
Got a email awhile back from a friend who notifies us whenever a social is to be at Starbucks...he noted:...."Please! Order something"!...I haven't been in a very long time...but I did notice no one ever ordered anything, which I found that to be embarrassing....

Even when I need to stop at a gas station or convenence store, (asking for directions or an emergency bath room run)...I pick up something small to buy....
 
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