Default wireless signal?

Question

I just bought a laptop with wireless. I'm not very computer smart. Today i turned my computer on and a little window came up and said that there was the default wireless signal avaliable so i clicked on it and now i'm surfing the net somehow.

is what i am doing wrong? i dont want to comit a crime without knowing if it is one or not?

from what i made out on the windows help centre, its telling me that its not illegal to connect to a default connection but its just not private, meaning i'm vulnerable to hackers..

So what does the default wireless connection mean? am i doing something wrong???

Answer 1

If you have a wireless router and have set your computer up to pick that router then all you are doing is connecting to your wireless router... But if you dont have a wireless router and you are connecting to someone elses wireless router then your are doing something called piggybacking which is illigal in the UK...  I dont know about any other countries though...

Answer 2

If you don't have a wireless connection in your house, you are using somebody elses router, which they did not secure. Meaning its not private and anyone can use.  Since its the best signal its asking do you want this your default wireless connection. You said yes.  So it will always look for that signal first.  You can always change that,

Is it illegal?  I would say no because it a free wave signal. If you hack into them that's illegal.  But they can tell if/who is on their router as well.  But, since they didn't secure it, I don't they can do that either.  :-)