Is my neighbour mean? Opinions please.

It sounds to me as if you and your neighbour live too closely in each others pockets.
Good fences make good neighbors" is a famous idiom from Robert Frost’s 1914 poem "Mending Wall," signifying that clear boundaries and respect for personal space foster harmonious relationships.

Piggy backing on your Wi-Fi is something you need to change right away.
Likewise sharing green bins- for the small amount you may be saving, you are clearly losing independence, not to say peace of mind

How would malware get from the neighbour's device to the OP's? It can't jump from one machine to another via wifi.

I agree that it could be against T&Cs of the broadband provider, but I'm as sure as I can be that there is no risk of malware, password stealing or anything of the kind. I am not an IT expert though, so if someone can explain to me how that would work I am happy to be corrected.

The danger is not in seeing what one another do on their respective devices. That would require file sharing permissions to have been given or a skilful hacker.

As I said above, the danger is in malware, viruses, spyware, keyloggers etc as well as illegal activity that could be traced to the IP address of the router.

What you are relying on is your neighbour’s behaviour and their ability to keep their own system free of malicious software including what their visitors may be doing.

A very large proportion of malware comes via gaming software, so what happens if, say, the neighbour allows her younger family members, when visiting, to game via your broadband?

That’s a risk I would never take.

Sharing may also breach the terms of service with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Residential accounts are intended for single household use. Were an ISP to become aware of this, your contract could be terminated and you could find yourself blacklisted from buying a service from anyone else. That’s extreme but it is possible.

Change your Internet password first thing. If your not sure what to do get your DD to do.
What a cheek.. Green bin vs Internet your expense is more.

I would ignore any neighbour who ‘hollered’ for me over the fence!!
She should go to your door or phone you.
Try and dial down all the nicey-nicey things you do for her as it sounds like a one way street.

M0nica

Doodledog

How would someone piggybacking on wifi on a different device compromise banking details? Passwords are stored with cookies which lodge on devices, not connections. When my children stay we all use the house wifi, and all have different browsers. The connection is just that - it connects you to the Internet, but that's all.

DH and I both use different devices on the same internet. it is possible to access information on his comouter from my computer.

Not being technically savvy, how things are done, I know not, but it would presumably be possible for someone who has compromised my computer in some way to compromise another ccomputer on the same network. Both would need to have their own antivirus etc software

I assume the things you have accessed have been set up for file share? Otherwise everyone in the library would be able to access one another's files, which is obviously not the case.

Files and passwords are stored on devices, not on 'the Internet', which is all wifi gives you access to.

I abide by the golden rule of never getting involved with neighbours. It always turns sour eventually. You use her green bin and perhaps feel obliged to buy her stuff and let her use your Internet. You've started this and I'm not sure how you can end it . Stop treating her to stuff , you don't need to . Switch your Internet provider, I'm sure there are some competitive deals , use a different password .Tell her you can no longer afford the one you're using now and it's been playing up etc , engineer's told you its because its being shared and you cant do it anymore . Very sorry etc etc . Don't mention the green bin and if she won't let u use it anymore , pay for your own one . Owe no one anything . You sound like a kind hearted lady but she's getting more than her green bins moneys worth .

LemonJam

To have access to an internet account you need both the wifi code as well as the password- have you provided both to your neighbour? If so what was the history and circumstance of that beginning?

That’s what I thought. It’s not a password that you can change at the drop of a hat I don’t think. In fact I think you would have to contact your internet provider.

PS you’re not a wimp, your neighbour sounds a little overbearing

Graphite

Never share a broadband connection with anyone unless you know what they are using the internet for. It risks your security, privacy and legal standing, leaves you open to potential malware and illegal activity that can be tracked to you IP address.

She may not knowingly be be doing anything wrong but she could easily leave you open to malware if she is not IT savvy.

(If you are both using your broadband for TV streaming, it will slowing down your own download speed.)

Who visits her? Are they also using your broadband? Change your password and tell her you have been advised to do so for banking security and can no longer share with her.

Pay for your own green bin from the money you save by not buying her stuff.

Yes!

getcomposting.com/

Do you spend more on her annually than you would on a garden waste bin?

I'd stop buying her anything, change my IP address and pay for a waste bin. If you don't have much garden waste, perhaps your DD would take it away as someone suggested. Or you could buy a compost bin.

Desdemona

Yes I could. I am a bit of a wimp and afraid of making an enemy of a neighbour. Plus I would then have to pay for my own green bin subscription which is another bill I can't really afford.

I sound pathetic.

Desdemona
You do realise that if there was any illegal activity on her computer it’s linked to you? Plus the fact that she could have given your password to anyone.
The above is an easy one to get out of.
Change your password now ( in settings) tell your neighbour this our provider has noticed some suspicious activity on our computer. Be advised that if you have shared your password with anyone this could compromise any insurance claim you might make
If she questions you just keep repeating the above. Play the techno idiot ( not you 😂)
But you must stop this.

You really are a mug especially with regard to using your password. There was a time when I was able to use my daughter’s Netflix app. It was legal, at the time.
But, that meant I could see what she was watching and she could see mine……not that either of us watched any ‘porn’😂 - so I decided to pay my own Subsrciption with my own password, only £5.99 per month.

butterandjam

Desdemona

Yes I could. I am a bit of a wimp and afraid of making an enemy of a neighbour. Plus I would then have to pay for my own green bin subscription which is another bill I can't really afford.

I sound pathetic.

You gave her your wifi code and have no control over who else she shared it with .

Right now her crook nephew could be sitting in his car on the street hacking your bank account and ordering goods paid for by you .

If you have shared access to your online finance, you have terminated any financial protection from your bank.

Or accessing porn, or worse the dark web showing pictures and videos of child sex abuse.

You could be in real trouble if that happened.

If I struggled to pay for my green bin I think I would ask for financial help from my offspring by way of having the cost or part cost as a Christmas or birthday present.
Actually that’s not a bad idea anyway as I don’t need more stuff.

Doodledog

How would someone piggybacking on wifi on a different device compromise banking details? Passwords are stored with cookies which lodge on devices, not connections. When my children stay we all use the house wifi, and all have different browsers. The connection is just that - it connects you to the Internet, but that's all.

DH and I both use different devices on the same internet. it is possible to access information on his comouter from my computer.

Not being technically savvy, how things are done, I know not, but it would presumably be possible for someone who has compromised my computer in some way to compromise another ccomputer on the same network. Both would need to have their own antivirus etc software

Please change you password today and note what Graphite said. I've just found this:
Sharing internet with your neighbour is generally not a crime, but it is almost certainly against your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) terms of service. This can lead to your service being terminated. You are legally responsible for all activity on your account, so you bear the risk for any illegal activities your neighbor performs.

I think that just applies when someone does it without the billpayers' knowledge, so if I logged in to a neighbour's wifi without telling them it would be theft, but if I allow my children to use mine it is not.

Either way, you'd have to be very tech-savvy to be able to get passwords and banking details that way.

Just checked up on it:

"Yes, "piggybacking"—using someone else's Wi-Fi without permission—is illegal and considered a criminal offense in many jurisdictions, including the UK, where it can lead to prosecution under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 or Communications Act 2003. It is a form of unauthorised access, bandwidth theft, and a security risk."

1. So exclude her, and when she says something, tell her you found out it's illegal - since it IS, and both of you could get into trouble.

2. Stop buying her stuff.

3 Carry on being pleasant with chats - no skin off you nose, best to keep things as good as possible with neighbours, she's greedy and maybe getting more so, but give the impression nothing has changed

4. If she alludes to the cost of the green bin, heave a huge, deeply meaning full sigh and say, so sorry I just cant afford it, so I've asked my daughter to help out.

I get the impression the neighbour's piggy backing the internet for free?

Awkward if you’re 70 and she, at 15 years older, could be 85. You don’t mention her family, so I’m assuming she either doesn’t have any, or they aren’t local. Is she unwell with her mobility restricted?
However, as others have said, I’d stop buying random things for her (unless you actually want to shop for her and get her to give you a list and cash?). You could still talk about ‘stuff’ over the fence, but perhaps not be so available when she rings or hollers for you. My green bin is £45 a year - less than £1 a week spread over the year.
The internet sharing is a whole different ball game and you must change your code. You could warn her in advance, or just wait until she’s denied access and explain that your internet had changed and she’ll have to get her own provider, with which you could offer to help?

I doubt you’d make an enemy of your neighbour after 26 years, over this.

Actually I can see some sense in sharing an internet connection & sharing a green bin if neither of you is using enough bandwidth to compromise your wi-fi strength, and neither of you would fill a green bin on your own. Our green bin subs were £70 this year.

I know there are security issues, but if you know her well enough to know she's extremely unlikely to be trolling or running a scam from your wi-fi, I don't think its easy to steal data from you by sharing a wi-fi connection. After all it happens in hospitals and in business hotels where confidentiality is very important.

YOU ARE A MUG !!!

How would someone piggybacking on wifi on a different device compromise banking details? Passwords are stored with cookies which lodge on devices, not connections. When my children stay we all use the house wifi, and all have different browsers. The connection is just that - it connects you to the Internet, but that's all.