Public Wi-Fi and the Associated Thought Police...

[Stomper]

Their WIFI their rules

Pfffppttt.... MY money, MY rules.

 

[3MTA3]

Are you allowed to purchase a cable modem that works on Comcast's network and buy a router yourself? Unless you using the cable for phone as well then probably not. I bought a cable modem and plugged into Comcast's network and then talked to customer service representative and set me up. They charge $10.00 for modem rental so with less that a year the modem paid for itself.

Yes you can and I'm an example of it. You can find the Arris SurfBoard modem (get the white one) on Craig's list for 50 bux or a hundred new. It pays for itself because you no longer need to rent one from Comcast.

EDIT: This is the one you want: ARRIS - SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem - White

Installation was a simple matter of calling the support number when I was ready to hook it up. The tech on the other end confirmed it was up. I had my laptop plugged directly into the modem's network port to validate I could access the Internet.

You can then hook up any wireless router to the modem. This gives you full control of your security and settings, and most importantly does not allow Comcast to use YOUR bandwidth as hotspots for other customers.

Note: If you are getting phone service through ComCast then you do need their equipment. I'd just switch to a different VoIP provider and only get the network service from them.

 

[Alexx1401]

Are you saying that you don't want health care for you and your family members if the hospital wifi access points filter all of the firearm related forums? You can write them but they will probably not change. I am sure you wouldn't.

Read my entire post. You missed this part; "my money if there is any alternative."
There are some companies that pretty much have a monopoly and are anti gun. Those I have little choice. Now say hardware store xyz decides to put up a sign saying only criminals can be armed there. That I have lots of choices with. I can go the one that does not put up such a sign and let XYZ know they chose to run off my money.

 

[Alexx1401]

Heck, my employer filters yahoo mail on mobile devices if your connected to their wifi...

If I'm not home, I'm LTE, I'm still a free man going where I wish...

My work filters too. I can access my e-mail on wireless but it's blocked on the company computers. On the WiFI gambling is blocked. So to use the scanner app to check a lotto ticket I have to turn off the WiFi and use the LTE. I get 5G's a month and I think the most I ever saw it used was just over 1G one month so I don't have to worry about it.

 

[Alexx1401]

Are you allowed to purchase a cable modem that works on Comcast's network and buy a router yourself? Unless you using the cable for phone as well then probably not. I bought a cable modem and plugged into Comcast's network and then talked to customer service representative and set me up. They charge $10.00 for modem rental so with less that a year the modem paid for itself.

I bought mine the first time I set up for Cable. They "offered" the rental. I looked at the cost to buy and the cost to rent and it was like 1years worth or so. Of course just bought it. First one lasted like 10 years and was only replaced because I could double my bandwidth for the same price with a more modern one. By that time the price difference was even more noticeable. More like about 6 months worth of rental compared to buy.

 

[Tony617]

I bought mine the first time I set up for Cable. They "offered" the rental. I looked at the cost to buy and the cost to rent and it was like 1years worth or so. Of course just bought it. First one lasted like 10 years and was only replaced because I could double my bandwidth for the same price with a more modern one. By that time the price difference was even more noticeable. More like about 6 months worth of rental compared to buy.

My first modem was a DOCSIS 1.1 that lasted for for over 7 years but then my modem would disconnect every night and had to cold boot the modem once a day. After that I bought a DOCSIS 2.0 modem in 2008 that used for like 5 years and then I bought a DOCSIS 3.0 modem which I currently still use. Back in the day I used Linux and later OpenBSD for my firewall with two network cards in it and write firewall rules to route from the cable modem to the internal network. Now I just use a hardware router with no fan and it so my desk at home is quiet now.

 

[Alexx1401]

My first modem was a DOCSIS 1.1 that lasted for for over 7 years but then my modem would disconnect every night and had to cold boot the modem once a day. After that I bought a DOCSIS 2.0 modem in 2008 that used for like 5 years and then I bought a DOCSIS 3.0 modem which I currently still use. Back in the day I used Linux and later OpenBSD for my firewall with two network cards in it and write firewall rules to route from the cable modem to the internal network. Now I just use a hardware router with no fan and it so my desk at home is quiet now.

I have LONG avoided learning anything about "tech". Waited till 2000 to even learn a PC. Only then because I was back in College and embarrassed at my lack of knowledge and the kids in the class that grew up with them. Now days I want stuff to just work when I plug it in. While back when we started watching more stuff on line it was bogging down. Called the ISP and they were the ones who told me I could double speed for same price just replacing the old modem. Just drove over and bought it came home and plugged it in. If it takes more than that it's over my head.

 

[AirResq]

Are they still blocking the midget porn too?

 

[Flopsweat]

Are they still blocking the midget porn too?

It should only take a short search to find out.

 

[Mark W.]

Stop your Whining at my work we are not even allowed to access the internet I can read an email but if the email has a link it goes no where. The closest I can get to something outside of the company assigned use of my note pad at work is to use it for MAPs and even then when I used it for a weekend in Seattle I got a call about using up the Months Data minutes.

I just use my phone

 

[3MTA3]

It's never a good idea to use a work computer for personal business, even when they allow it. All activity on your employer's network is logged and can be read unless encrypted. There are no upsides and only downsides. @Mark W. has this one right - use your own equipment and your own connection.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

sounds like theyre all missing out

 

[Vorpalis]

If I'm not home, I'm LTE, I'm still a free man going where I wish...

This. Easier and don't have to worry about possible tracking, logging, or judgement. Plus, it's more secure.

Actually, no, LTE is not more secure, for a couple reasons. First, the public key crypto that WPA(2) uses has a number of advantages over the symmetric KASUMI crypto that LTE uses (I can explain in detail if anyone's interested).

Second, LTE's encryption only encrypts traffic between your phone and whichever cell tower it's talking to, with no signing, and your data is completely in the clear between the cell tower and your telco's hub, which makes it vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks (you've heard of the FBI and police using "Stingray" devices in the news).

Third, your cell phone's IMEI is easy to correlate to your name and address and the rest of your telco account info (that's how your telco bills you each month), whereas the wifi equivalent, a MAC address, takes both a lot more effort and a lot more data to get nowhere near as close to your identity.

Which, fourth, brings us to the photo below. It's far more likely that your telco is either running deep-packet inspection themselves or letting one of the three-letter-acronym agencies trawl their data, than it is that someone at your doctor's office or a restaurant is bothering to parse the millions of lines of routing logs produced every day on their public wifi.

Honestly, if someone wanted to know who we are, sifting our publicly-viewable posts on this website for bits of personal info we divulge here and there would be pretty bubblegum easy. I would be surprised if the servers hosting NWFA didn't have at least one software vulnerability, or if the site admins and the behind-the-scenes IT admins were trained to recognize social engineering attacks (not being critical, just making a point).

The suggestion to use a VPN service is imperfect, but also pretty smart.

 

[Flopsweat]

...LTE's encryption only encrypts traffic between your phone and whichever cell tower it's talking to, with no signing, and your data is completely in the clear between the cell tower and your telco's hub...

Did not know this. Yikes. Not sure I like tethering now.

 

[Vorpalis]

Did not know this. Yikes. Not sure I like tethering now.

Any more, unless you actually walk off into the woods and never come back, you can't do much of anything without leaving data about yourself around. It's just something to be aware of.

On the spectrum between oblivious and paranoid, I try to know even more than the paranoid, while keeping my cool like the oblivious.

 

[Flopsweat]

Any more, unless you actually walk off into the woods and never come back, you can't do much of anything without leaving data about yourself around. It's just something to be aware of.

On the spectrum between oblivious and paranoid, I try to know even more than the paranoid, while keeping my cool like the oblivious.

How's that working out?

 

[cigars]

Public wifi? No thanks. The wifi stays set to off on my phone. Same thing with cookies..do not allow on the phone browser. I can turn them back on if there's a specific site I need to log in to (NWFA...ahem), but I turn them right back off afterwards. If you walk around with your wifi constantly on you are tracked. If you leave the cookies on in your phone browser then ads based on key words sucked up from your emails and text messages will start popping (pooping) up on every web page you visit. Try turning off that stuff for a week and notice how "cleaner" your phone web browsing becomes. I do have android tablet but i don't sign in with a gfail account. Yes, I lead a boring life and no those aluminum foil deflector beanie folks aren't crazy... just saying.

 

[cigars]

You people need to start reading 2600. Just make sure that you pay for it in cash.

 

[Alexx1401]

Any more, unless you actually walk off into the woods and never come back, you can't do much of anything without leaving data about yourself around. It's just something to be aware of.

On the spectrum between oblivious and paranoid, I try to know even more than the paranoid, while keeping my cool like the oblivious.

I have to guess I must lead a really boring life or something. I hear a LOT about this and the worry. I just have never got why. If my work or anyone at the Gov wants to look up what I am doing I can't see why I should care. With the millions of us out there that is a LOT of damn reading. Since I am not doing dope deals or such, nor plotting an over throw, what exactly are they supposed to "find"?

 

[Andy54Hawken]

It always pays to think before you post and re-read your post before you hit reply.
Doing so can prevent misunderstandings about what you are saying and gives folks less to "read into" on what you are saying.
At the very least you might be able to catch misspellings and the like to help avoid sounding uncouth or offensive.

As for looking at my favorite sites at work or in public ... I don't do it.
My work computer is for work related searches and duties ... When out and about , I'm usually too busy watching what's going on around me to be looking at a computer , tablet etc ...
Andy