Jan
This is perhaps an obscure kind of question: in my student union they offer free wifi, however at the moment the "[name of union] network" is not working properly. However, my laptop is picking up another connection with a signal so strong it must also be coming from within the Union. My question is- is it illegal or in some way naughty for me to be using this connection? xxx
Answer:
Well, unless the signal is named something that suggests it's free and for the public, than no - it's not a good idea to just randomly connect to some unknown network. You can get in a deal of trouble for doing that, as you are technically stealing someones internet connection.
I would recommend calling one of the network techs/admins in the union, and asking them if the router belongs to them or not. If it is, than obviously you can use it. If not, explain the situation and they should be able to help you connect to one of their routers.
Just because it has a strong signal doesn't mean anything. It could just belong to someone in the building who wants their own personal router (security-wise, it isn't a bad idea at all), or it could be located farther away and just has a very strong transmitter.
Answer:
Hmm.. Im not sure.
If you can connect to it well
then use it.
If someone says something, just say sorry you didnt notice 
But i shouldnt think so.
Answer:
You can only use a connection if you have permission. If you are unsure of who the connection belongs to then you cannot possibly have permission to use it. I would ask your student union about the other signal.
Answer:
There are a few issues when connecting to an unknown network. I don't think illegal, but immoral in some peoples book. What you should be aware of is that anything you do on the Internet while connected to the unknown wireless network can be snooped upon.
In a related note there are people who believe that wireless networks should be open to anyone. Under this belief, you would be able to access the Internet from virtually anywhere. It's a nice ideal but without wireless security it's far to easy to do malicious things to someone network and or computer systems.
Answer:
Well, this is where the moral/legality idea comes into effect.
Legally, your not sure if you should use it because you might receive something malicious from it.
Morally though, you want to use it because you need the Internet…
I suggest that you call it in or ask around to see what other people think.
Answer:
More than likely if this 'mystery network' is popping up in a building like a student union, it is actually a trap by a hacker trying to access information from people unfortunate enough to try and connect. It's very easy to spoof an access point and then gain entry to any computer that connects to it. As a previous answerer said, contact the IT dept with the school and find out what the legit wireless connection is before connecting to any strange networks.
Answer:
Ask the network admin if the network belongs to the union before connecting to the network. Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList