[X-Newbies] Re: Wi-fi range extenders

[Charles Martin]

> From: Mark Taintor <markwt at mac.com>
>
> Do any of you have experience with wi-fi antennas/range extenders? My
> son is living in a house with no internet access and is not able to
> "borrow" any neighbor's access. He's wondering if adding something to
> his Macbook would help. Leaving aside the moral issues of doing this,
> do these things work? Any recommendations?

I'm afraid I can't "leave aside the moral issues" of this. You and  
your son are opening yourselves up to litigation, both civil and  
criminal. If none of your neighbours can be persuaded to set up an  
"open" wireless network (which may VERY WELL violate their TOS,  
getting them kicked out of their ISP service), then you're out of luck.

The solution is really quite simple: pay to get internet access in  
the house he is staying in. "Lite" versions of all the popular DSL  
and cable offerings exist, and since your neighbours obviously have  
access so can he.

If for some strange reason he's not permitted to do this, find local  
businesses and libraries that offer free internet access, and  
patronise them.

Antenna and range extenders are generally intended to be attached to  
the BASE STATION, not the receiving computer. Although they do in  
fact work, they won't help your son in this case. Some ethics  
lessons, on the other hand, might come in handy.

Cheers
Chas