To think friend was being a bit tight over internet password

[CadgingCarol]

Name changed as I'm an over sharer.
Anyway I had some issues with paying my internet account recently basically direct debit hadn't come out and I'd been cut off long story!

I was stuck at home on my own with the kids, my older dc was going on and on and on about internet being cut off stress. I thought I'll ring up and pay to get it back on etc but realised I couldn't transfer the money as no internet! My phone internet wouldn't work either.
I thought shit, I messaged my friend who lives close and I'm a round about way asked her if I could borrow her internet password to get things sorted,
Her reply was "sorry I don't want to give it out" now we've been friends for over 4 years have each other kids do stuff etc etc so I was quite shocked at her response. It's basically saying she doesn't trust me isn't it?
Yes the internet being back on wasn't urgent but I still needed it back on ASAP. I wouldn't have given a second thought to giving a "friend" the password so aibu to think she isn't really a friend as she didn't help me out when I was in the shit?

There’s a difference giving a WiFi password to people in your house visiting. It’s different giving it to someone else who could be illegally downloading,going on dodgy websites, nasty trolling on Twitter or using all the bandwidth up from the comfort of their home on internet TV. Ours doesn’t like two or more people on YouTube or Netflix before it gets pissed off and goes on a go slow.

I admire her ability to be honest and say no rather than do it begrudgingly to avoid awkwardness.

When I have friends visiting it's three things automatically offered: A seat, a cup of tea/coffee and the wifi password. I assumed this was the same with most people. It takes two seconds to change a wifi password. I've changed mine to suit the occasion (such as my daughter's sleepover with half a dozen friends) After it was done I changed it back, re-restricting access.

For a day or two, lending a friend your internet access, what's the big deal?

I change my SSID and password on every router I get. I change the SSID so it's easily differentiated from my neighbour's SSIDs as some of them are with the same provider, and my password so I know what it is off the top of my head without ever needing to get up to read my router. We have an absolute ton of devices connected at any one time, it's just a pain in the arse to have to remember a randomly generated alpha-numeric password.

I wouldn't have given it out if I had a slow or capped connection especially if I wasn't confident setting up a temporary guest network.

It's one thing giving access to your home network to friends and family but I'd be nervous to give it to the OPs 'older children' who could easily use up loads of bandwidth playing data heavy games or downloading movies or whatever. The OPs neighbour could also be less trusting of the OPs teens.

Is this a reverse? I wonder if there is a bit more to it all tbh. It's one thing letting your freinds onto your Wi-Fi when they pop round for a visit but a bit different if you could possibly, if you found that there wasn't enough money to pay the bill after all, carry on using the Wi-Fi for free. Then what if one of your children decided to download loads of pirated films, or just use all if the bandwidth up? And you freind goes to use mumsnet and it's as slow as fuck because someone in a neighbouring house is using it all up!!

Why do people give out their password to visiting friends? Aren't they there to visit, ie actually talk to you?! How rude to sit there using the WiFi?

For the tenth time no dp was at work...and I'm rural. And the poster that says I'm a cheeky fucker I suppose I'm a cheeky fucker for feeding her kid, looking after her kid, giving her kid money for sweets...

We have a guest network for friends and family who are visiting which has restrictions on it. It means they can’t access anything dodgy unless they’re trying really hard and they also can’t access our media server or anything else connected to our own internal network.

I would give you the guest login details but I’d be changing them after 24 hours so I knew you weren’t still using my WiFi.

If people are staying the night we always give them the password, they're bound to want to use the Internet at some point. Not so much if they've just come round for lunch or dinner.

To the posters telling OP to pop to Costa or Macdonalds, the nearest free wifi to our rural village is a 60 mile round trip to use. Perhaps OP is in the same situation?
If it's a quick job of using wifi to do a money transfer from one account to another and pay a bill then what is the big deal? "Friend" could make a temporary password, let OP use it then boot her off again by changing the password back. It's not a massive favour to ask really and it's not like expecting lifts or school runs, money or free childcare, it's a quick borrow of something that doesn't really put the friend out.
No one owes anyone favours but surely a friend would want to help?

Just pay your bill by phone and stop making a drama out of it.

Why do people give out their password to visiting friends? Aren't they there to visit, ie actually talk to you?

I don't know about you, but I can talk to my friends, drink their tea and download hardcore porn while my phone's in my handbag. Not rude at all...

Pay your bill. Not your friend’s fault you didn’t set up a direct debit, it’s yours.

I couldn't pay by phone I needed to transfer the money I didn't know it had been cut off until I'd got home and dp had already gone to work. And as for me not paying my bills it's not as simple as that! There are reasons my bank fucked up I was just simplifying it this isn't a regular thing.

She hasn't paid her own bill....once she has her friends WiFi she need never pay her bill again

Seriously? Passwords can be changed and should be changed regularly. If the friend really believes this is a risk then simply change the password after use. This is something they should be doing regularly anyway.

Aren't they there to visit, ie actually talk to you?!

Do you never have people to stay rather than just for an hour or two? Or kids coming to play network games together?

It seems odd to me not to help out someone with such a basic utility - would posters refuse access to their phone if a neighbour's line was faulty?

Most modern routers can run a guest network without a lot of faffing if you want to keep non family off the home network.

If this were a friend of mine I would just just think, 'Oh, so and so is a bit funny about her Internet password.' And then just forget about it and go and use free wifi in a cafe or the library or something. Non issue.

Wow. So many people I'm glad to not have in my life. I can't stand tightness.

OP, your friend was unreasonable. I would have let you use it without a second thought (as would anyone else I know).

So live without WiFi for a night and sort it out the next day.

Also for the people that change the generic password on sky box why?

Surely it's standard advice for people to change manufacturers' generic passwords? Ever heard of hacking?

YABU. I wouldn't give my wifi password to a neighbour, friend or otherwise. They or someone in their household they could then give it to, could download illegal films, look at / download child pornography, etc and it would be traced back to me first. And I'd then have a heck of time trying to show it wasn't me or anyone in my household. No thanks.

I would let a neighbour use a computer to pay their bill, but I'd probably first look up the phone number for the internet provider and suggest they give them a call. Plus I'd be wondering how long the DD hadn't been paid in order for the service to be cut off.

Plus, in a lot of areas, you can pay for BT wifi with FON, and get online that way. I'd also be suggesting you pay for that.

V8...not everyone is tech savvy. Some people don't know how to change their WiFi password and it would be a real inconvenience to have to. No I don't have people to stay overnight. Or kids over. So no, I wouldn't give it. This is different to giving it to a friend who comes over, she lives two doors away.

And then just forget about it and go and use free wifi in a cafe or the library or something. Non issue.

OP lives in a rural area and is stuck at home with small children and no 3g. Not everyone lives within spitting distance of cafes with wifi and libraries in rural areas are largely non existent. In my brother's village not helping out a neighbour with a connection problem get their connection working would be akin to not letting them use the phone to report a problem or letting someone in for a warm if their heating had broken down.

I don't live in a rural area, but it wouldn't occur to me not to help someone trying to get on line to sort out a billing problem or to refuse a friend external network access when visiting.

For those of you that use the sane password for Wi-Fi as email/websites.
Did you learn nothing from the Jeffrey incident?

I wouldn't have given it either, it's not like OP was visiting.

Plenty of options to resolve it.
Free wifi.
Data connection.
Telephone call.
Internet cafe.
Library pc.
Ask to log onto her phone or laptop to pay.

But NOT give out the WiFi password itself! It opens it up to abuse, what if it's the same password for other stuff, can't control illegal or bandwidth heavy access, would have no cut off point, friend might not know how to change it.

Seriously OP, get a grip, you're acting like your friend had an obligation to give you the actual password & you had no other option. Sheer nonsense

So live without WiFi for a night and sort it out the next day.

SHe needs to get online to sort out the billing problem with the direct debit.

I'm wondering how many posters live in areas without a starbucks on every corner and a myriad of services on tap.