[SATLUG] Deli owner wishes to set up own hotspot cheaply

[Brad Knowles]

On 9/2/07, Enrique Sanchez Vela wrote:

>  why does it have to be more complicated than just
>  powering up an access point without encryption and
>  mac-filtering options?.

You could do that, but some jurisdictions are passing laws to make it 
a crime to have an open unsecured network, and at the very least 
they're going to require that you have lots of authentication and 
other logging information about who connected when and what sites 
they connected to.


If you operate a wireless network, you're effectively becoming a 
telephone company.

Now, some jerk makes an abusive telephone call, commits a crime 
online, or looks at kiddie-porn, and you've got the FBI busting down 
your door and asking for all your CALEA-required records and access 
ports, etc....

Do you really want to be the one sent to jail because your wireless 
network got abused by someone else to perform a crime, and you can't 
prove that you weren't the one responsible for generating those 
packets?


Okay, as a private citizen, you might be willing to take that risk. 
But as a business owner, would you be willing to bet your entire 
business on that risk?

Most businesses aren't willing to take that kind of risk, so that's 
why they turn to the kinds of packages offered by groups like Less 
Networks, which gives you the necessary tools to operate an open 
network and yet still collect at least most of the kind of 
information you need to be able to give to the FBI when they come 
knocking at your door.

-- 
Brad Knowles <brad at shub-internet.org>
LinkedIn Profile: <http://tinyurl.com/y8kpxu>