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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WiFi borrowing

54 replies

GenerallyGreenerGrass · 06/08/2023 17:18

A member of my family is very ill and requires a lot of care.
I work from home several days and am considering trying to work from their home, instead of going backwards and forwards but being quite elderly, they don’t have Broadband.
I’ve been using Hotspot on my iPhone today but it won’t be good enough for conference calls etc.
What do you think about approaching a next door neighbour who we don’t know well but they know him, to see firstly if they have WiFi and if so could we possibly join it for a couple of weeks.
What do you think?

OP posts:
MasterBeth · 06/08/2023 17:22

Ha ha!

I think the Mumsnet phrase is Cheeky Fucker.

5G hotspotting on your iPhone should be more than enough for a Teams call.

Hufflepods · 06/08/2023 17:22

It’s not borrowing though is it? It’s just using.

Sparklesocks · 06/08/2023 17:24

I think it’s a big ask, especially when you don’t know them

dementedpixie · 06/08/2023 17:28

Maybe get a dongle and have your own wifi

CastleCrasher · 06/08/2023 17:29

I wouldn't agree to this for someone I don't know and I'll share/give most things! In your position if your mobile contact isn't up to it I'd buy a WiFi dongle.

minipie · 06/08/2023 17:29

This is what dongles are for

Minglemangle007 · 06/08/2023 17:31

Just get a portable travel WiFi hotspot. Got one for using at an elderly relatives house and worked brilliantly.

OhComeOnFFS · 06/08/2023 17:33

I would definitely do this if you were my neighbour, but I can see that others might not want to.

Original poster
GenerallyGreenerGrass · 06/08/2023 17:33

Yes! It is quite sensitive and a big ask but where we live neighbours do help each other out and we would offer half of the months charges for it.
It would only be for a couple of weeks as relative is end of life, so CF or not, I’m going to go for it.
They can always just say No…
I’ll let you know how I get on….

OP posts:
MaxwellCat · 06/08/2023 17:33

I would say no

Aquamarine1029 · 06/08/2023 17:34

Sorry, but it's cheeky as fuck to ask this of your relative's neighbour. If I were them, I would say absolutely not.

hadhimoverabarrel · 06/08/2023 17:34

I wouldn't let anyone do this

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 06/08/2023 17:36

I've done this before for a long-term neighbour by setting up a guest network, but I wouldn't do it again purely because it's impossible to monitor exactly what someone is using your network for, and the IP is going to be tied to your address, not next door.

tescocreditcard · 06/08/2023 17:37

No. Im in a similar position and wouldn't dream of asking

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 06/08/2023 17:41

If you get your home broadband from BT you can access their Openzone for free. We did it for ages (using mum’s) for ages when we moved house. Thinking about it I have no idea why I don’t use this on my phone… 🤔

LookItsMeAgain · 06/08/2023 17:42

While I'm sorry to hear about your family member being near end of life, I wouldn't give you my WiFi password to let you piggyback onto my broadband if you asked.

Why not buy yourself a mobile broadband dongle then all of the data is yours?

www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile-broadband-deals

NewNovember · 06/08/2023 17:45

I would say yes clearly in the majority this is someone caring for their parent at the end of life wouldn't affect your life at all.

Inowseeyourtruecolorsandredflagswhattookmesolong · 06/08/2023 17:45

Are you with BT?

If so, you might be able to log in to your bt WiFi account if there's a btwifi network link available when you look on your WiFi connections?

Works for me sometimes.

PinkiOcelot · 06/08/2023 17:46

It might be only for a couple of weeks though. We were told my mam was end of life last year and she’s still here.

I’d say no.

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 06/08/2023 17:49

If I liked your relative I’d say yes for a couple of days while you sort yourself out a dongle. I’d be able to change the password at the end of that time.

Silvergreenblue · 06/08/2023 17:49

4G is fine for logging into work, I use it as a backup. No need to borrow wifi which is a bad idea anyway.

Ohmylovejune · 06/08/2023 17:52

Can you rent a dongle from a network with good connection in that area on a rolling month contract? I know my daughter did this when she was sent to work at a rural outpost and didn't know how long she would be there.

mummymayhem18 · 06/08/2023 17:55

I wouldn't have the brass neck to do that. It's a definite no no and I think it would make you look like a CF and a bit sketchy.

Ponderingwindow · 06/08/2023 17:57

The neighbor would need to set up a separate guest network, otherwise they are potentially letting you access their devices and creating security problems for themselves.

If they also wfh or use the network at the same time it could diminish their own speeds. DH and I both wfh and have computer intensive jobs. We pay for enhanced internet because regular capacity and speeds won’t suffice for the demands we place on the network. We wouldn’t risk adding another person to the mix.

PurplePups16 · 06/08/2023 18:00

Even if they said yes it may still not be any better than your phone hotspot.

Wi-Fi on most routers supplied by people like BT/Sky isn’t strong enough to go around the house they are setup in let alone through brick walls. Even if you can “see” a strong signal that doesn’t necessarily mean it actually is.

That’s even before you factor in any other electronic devices they might have connected.

Then you have to factor in what they use their Wi-Fi for. They may not have a package with high speeds so your phone may actually be faster.