Neighbours broadband

[FawnFrenchieMum]

Would this be a neighbourly favour or CF to ask?
We are moving broadband providers, the new one has disconnected today and they are coming tomorrow 8-1 to fit the new one. I have to be at home for this to happen.
I’ve just had a meeting drop into my calendars that I can’t really get out of so was thinking of knocking next door and asking if they would mind me connecting to theirs just for the morning.
Background - next door is too elderly ladies. We smile and say hello if we see each other but it’s rare we do. They don’t go out much at all. Have lots of other neighbours on the street that we are on much friendly terms with who I wouldn’t think twice to ask, unfortunately their connections wouldn’t reach.

YABU - Don’t even think about asking CF
YANBU - Of course you ask, why wouldn’t you?

Can’t you do the video call on your phone?

General Mumsnet
Advice when neighbours have asked for this absolutely no way.

Go to a coffee shop or library.

I'm always using a hotspot for video calls for work. You should be fine :)

I'm always using a hotspot for video calls for work. You should be fine :)

I wasn’t. Hotspotting just didn’t work. Not enough bandwidth apparently.

She said in her OP 'I have to be at home for this to happen. '.

And neither of those places is suitable for most work meetings.

I let my old neighbour

Try hotspot first. Last resort would be to ask. I would let my neighbour use my WiFi if I was home.

It's only half a day offline. Tell your employer you can't attend the meeting. They would have to manage without you if you were run over by a bus wouldn't they?

I've done similar for my NDN is those circumstances, but we get on well and it wasn't a problem.

For a neighbour I said hello to and a merry Christmas absolutely no. They happen to live next to me but I'm this friendly with our pharmacist and I won't be asking him to borrow their WiFi!
For a neighbour where we sat in one anothers home or garden having a cup of tea or a G and T. I would ask if desperate
For a neighbour that knows all about family issues and enquires about how they are doing without prompting. I absolutely would ask.

Most of my neighbours fall into the top 2 categories but my mum has many neighbours in the bottom category so for it would be quite different compared to me asking. She's lived there for 35+ years I haven't even been here for 35 months!

No. You are asking them for their passed and trust that you won't take advantage.
Just use your phone. If my husband can do a four hour meetings hanging out a window in rural Spain with a dodgy satellite signal you can manage.

It didn't need loads of ????? Though as if it was a bizarre idea that they would have the Internet

You can get shields for you screen so others can't see it however the issue is her talking about confidential things in public.

I've glared at people in the past on platforms and on trains because they are talking about confidential things in a public place and I could overhear them. I don't want to know the details of what exactly went wrong yesterday on an engineering project or that person's accountancy information.

As an aside, I had a very loud man near me on the train last month who had multiples conversations with different people about a disciplinary he was going through with a member of his team. Highly inappropriate, but he was clearly trying to let everyone know how important he was.

It’s fine to ask. They can say no.

I gave my log on to a neighbour in exactly the same circumstances. It was fine except she did also give it to her dad to use on his phone without asking. We noticed a few months later and blocked his device.

I just burst out laughing at this post, because as I was scrolling TikTok yesterday, a perfect video came up.

I think it would be fine for you to ask, as long as they are aware of what you are actually asking for. Besides, the WiFi that leaks outside of your four walls becomes public 🤣

Search on TikTok for 'Neighbour chasing WiFi password". The man is wearing a red top and a woolly hat. Video was posted 12/30/2033.

Many moons ago (showing age here) BT had an idea (remarkable in itself, admittedly). All BT routers came with a secondary "Openzone" channel that was supposed to provide WiFi to any BT Openzone customers. The idea being that all BT routers would effectively blanket the UK and you'd never be without wifi.

Obviously a nice idea that completely ignored the realities of modern Britain where community provision is illegal. (Our local hospital provides free WiFI from a charity donation and you would not believe how nasty the skimming scumbags who wanted a fleece as you go service have been).

Absent that, a 5G phone in hotspot mode is more than capable of sustaining a full fat video link. I had to run a 20 people office on one last year. Obviously video was out, but generally everyone coped.

I just watched that, it's hilarious. "You're being unreasonable!" 😂

YABU.
I wouldn't let me neighbour use my wifi, I don't want to share/have to change my password. I wouldn't expect them to let me use theirs either. I'd use data or go somewhere I could use free wifi.

some meetings they give you a phone number to dial in instead, maybe you can do thiis

It’s not a “MN thing” and it’s not even being a “bad neighbour” thing…. it’s about basic cyber security and if we have got to 2024 without people understanding internet security then we are in trouble

I also saw that Tik Tok and thought of that when I first read this thread. I am hoping it was a set up for laughs and not a real situation

No, that is a very good point that I overlooked, actually.

Yes! I remember this - wasn't it called something like BT FON?

No I wouldn't agree to sharing it with you. It is exactly what every provider tells you NOT to do.