WIFI / Broadband

[euro]

HI

we used to live onsite and had wifi ,which only we used.

returned to the uk a couple of years ago and still run the gite business.

to save money we had the phone disconnected and the internet of course went with it.

is WIFI internet becoming a must have for guests ?

Thanks

[AnOther]

I would say definitely and if not WiFi at least Internet access of some sort.

The problem is if you are not there then you can have no control at all over what guest's do with it and you could find yourself receiving a letter from Sarkos pals, AKA HADOPI.

[Rainbow]

WiFi is a must. Or at least Internet Access.

[JSKS]

We provide a terminal for guests' use but do not allow connection of personal devices. OK so someone could do something naughty on the terminal but we feel this is much less likely in a public area than secreted in a gite.

It's not just the HADOPI thing, although that is a factor, but how would you feel if the Gendarmes knocked on the door at 4am to arrest you for downloading child porn or something equally unpleasant because one of the guests used your ISP to fill their hard drive?

[Théière]

I have been running a viewers poll on my website for several seasons and the answer used to be a resounding no, over the last 2 years this has changed to 45:55 most people not requiring the internet. This year so far,

45.5% It is one of the main features we look for.

27.3% Important, we occasionally need to use the Internet.

18.2% Handy but not a major concern.

9.1% It's a holiday!

So it is something we need to look at, I will try tethering my mobile (3G) as a modem next month and depending on the results as to whether to supply a 3G dongle (chargeable) for the occasional use although modern smart phones can do this anyway for email, surfing is expensive.  Concerned about over use as stated and HADOPI.

[JSKS]

I know there are establishments that allow unrestricted access to their connection but it only takes one dodgy guest (and I think we all know some decidedly dodgy guests!) to cause much hassle. What you are really doing is saying ''download whatever you want, it's all in my name''.

Providing a desktop terminal in a public room seems like a reasonable, if not foolproof, compromise.

[Théière]

It is a worry as prawnography is the most reserched item on the web ( i'm told )

[:)]

[JSKS]

Splendid.

[Clair]

One of the guests last year pointed out that internet access was absolutely essential and indispensable during his week-long booking of the property.

No problem, I said. We have WIFI and you shall have internet access!

When he arrived, he asked about it and I asked him to give me the MAC address for his laptop, so I could allow him access to the network. He looked at me, slightly puzzled, and said he would look into it.

Seven days later, he left, never having once asked for access again... [Www]

[stella]

Hmmm, getting  the  MAC address a  great  idea. 

This  is  the unique  identifer  of  thre  PC,  so in  case  they  do  some  thing wrong, you  can point  this out  to the  HADOPI  guys,  in  case they  come  looking.

[JSKS]

As I understand it, the owner of the connection remains responsible for the traffic through that connection regardless of whether it can be shown that devices owned by others were used. That's wrong, of course, and contrary to all natural justice - but this is France where the individual's freedom from Big Brother is rarely considered.

[AnOther]

You're kidding yourself Stella, the only MAC address HADOPI or anyone tracing illegal downloads will be interested in will be that of the actual router not peripheral devices which are, or may have been, connected to it. Clairs use of it is will be a security measure to allow access to her router by specific authorised devices. Also MAC addresses are easily 'spoofed' so not necessarily traceable.

JK: You could equally say the same about UK so pointing the finger at France is wrong and unfair. I agree it can be harsh but I'd be interested to know just how you would conclusively and inarguably go about proving that you, as the connection owner, were not responsible for any given download ?

[JSKS]

AnOther Quote:

''JK: You could equally say the same about UK so pointing the finger at France is wrong and unfair. I agree it can be harsh but I'd be interested to know just how you would conclusively and inarguably go about proving that you, as the connection owner, were not responsible for any given download ?''

There is no HADOPI equivalent in UK.

You cannot prove that the connection owner wasn't responsible - that's the point. The only info the ISP can confidently provide is the IP address of the router.

The only way to keep a wifi connection secure is not to let any unauthorised user to access it.

Incidentally, I don't know much about this other than what I've put above and that is courtesy of my son whose job is IT security. His STRONG advice is to NEVER allow unsupervised access to the network.

[AnOther]

I know it hasn't been implemented yet but have you not heard of the UK's Digital Economy Act ?

[Loiseau]

I must say, if I was looking to rent a gite the availability of WiFi would be a clincher.

How do cybercentres manage, if they let customers use their own laptops on the premises?

And what about near-open-access WiFi - such as in the Vendee? There are areas near tourist offices and the like where you can surf the web on your laptop for the princely sum of 1 euro per 24 hours' access.

So basically, no one away from home is going to be able to check their emails, unless they have a 3G connection?

Angela

[Clarkkent]

[quote user="AnOther"]I would say definitely and if not WiFi at least Internet access of some sort.

The problem is if you are not there then you can have no control at all over what guest's do with it and you could find yourself receiving a letter from Sarkos pals, AKA HADOPI.

[/quote]

I don't know about French systems, but in England I have a BT Home Hub 2. In addition to being my modem-router, when it is switched on, it also acts as a BT Fon wi-fi hot spot and may accessed by anyone wishing to connect to the internet. BT assure me that any external user will be completely independent from my own internet connection, and that their usage will not affect my own usage. I experimented with my laptop and made a wi-fi connection independent of my own BT account. Are modem-routers performing similar functions available in France? And if so, would not such a device free gite owner from the threat of Hadopi?

[Suze01]

posted on the other wifi thread:

http://www.2isr.fr/brochures/2ISR%20-%20Brochure_Clic_et_Surf.pdf

This is a system we are about to install in our camping municipal. Hadopi protected.

[Théière]

The link is clickable HERE

19.90 euros per month, what does that include?

[Suze01]

Structure de l’offre :

La location du matériel : 1 Routeur - Point d’accès WiFi.

La protection de l’accès via le portail d’authentification. L’ajout de votre logo sur le portail d’authentification.

Le filtrage des accès tel que le P2P (en prévention de la loi HADOPI 2009). Log/trace de l’utilisation de la connexion. La gestion des horaires du Hotspot / Limitation du temps de connexion. L’accès au portail de paramétrage (hotspot.2isr.fr)

La supervision 7j/7j 24h/24h La hotline 5j/7j de 8h00 à 20h00, numéro non surtaxé. La maintenance de votre installation.

Une publicité de proximité : 2 Autocollants vitrines, présentoire(s) (en option). Le référencement de votre établissement comme fournisseur d’accès Wifi gratuit sur des sites spécialisés. Multi-lingual portal. Replacement of unit during period on contract.

[jerrytlr]

Can somebody point me to a link describing HADOPI in a bit more detail (in English!)? Is it really the case that the connection owner would be deemed guilty unless they can prove their innocence, if a guest downloaded something illegal?

I have a segregated network in the Gite, so that guests cannot see any devices on the family's network, but of course it is all using the same broadband router and connection...

Cheers,

Jerry

[Loiseau]

There's some explanation on Wikipedia here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HADOPI_law

It looks as if its main purpose is to protect copyright rather than to monitor use of sites of questionable content.

They'll have to ban modern books next, in case anyone lifts bits out of them.

Angela

[JSKS]

For whatever reason the user is HADOPIed (always like to create new verbs) the only info the ISP can provide is the IP address when the onus will be on the subscriber to appeal.

Our view is that if our guests need to check emails, weather forecasts, future bookings etc then the terminal in the public lounge will provide that. It is unlikely to be used to download copyright material - or at least less likely then when they are locked in their gite.

For those who think this isn't a problem it's worth asking friends and relatives how many of them download from sites which are a little fast and loose with the copyright laws. I think we can virtually guarantee that one or more guests will find the temptation irresistible. And it will be us that have to argue the toss with HADOPI.

[Loiseau]

Oh, is it all about illegal downloads of music, videos and movies? Sorry, it hadn't dawned on me that that was what is being tackled here. I was thinking it was about the chances of people visiting porn sites!

Is there any way of limiting the download speed, so that people would not find it worth the bother, or the wait, to download movies etc? The half-meg speed of my broadband connection in the Vendee makes it hard to watch a short YouTube clip, or even to receive to receive a large email attachment, so would be wonderfully dissuasive for would-be movie=thieves!

I should think that having a public-access computer in the hallway would be a good way to go, then.

Angela

[AnOther]

HADOPI is a deeply flawed instrument and an utter discredit to those, who in semi ignorance, forced it into law.

Additionally, as I understand it, monitoring and reporting concentrates wholly on P2P or torrent activity and completely ignores direct downloads.

TBH I think much of the impetus for it came from Sarkos sucking up to his showbiz cohorts to whom he seems to be in complete thrall.

After all, what of significant international artistic merit does France produce that requires such draconian protection, answers on the back of a postcard to.................

EDIT: Loiseau, it's all about copyright, nothing else, and although kiddie porn would not go down well there is nothing intrinsically wrong with visiting porn sites and downloading material from them and for any government to condemn that would be an indefensible affront to personal liberty. Remember to that HADOPI is only triggered by a complaint from a copyright holder.

[JSKS]

HADOPI could well be the biggest invasion of personal privacy in Europe since the days before the Wall came down - and even the STASI would not have had the potential access that HADOPI can give to people's private lives.

Nevertheless, no matter how stupid the law may be it has the potential to seriously screw up anyone who relies on the 'net - particularly home businesses.

But taking the whole argument one step further - suppose you get a guest that downloads child porn. The host site is under surveillance by the international bodies that try to eliminate that vile trade. They see a whole load of download to your IP address and get your details from the ISP. Europe-wide swoop on child porn consumers - and it happens - and they are kicking down your door. That's got to take some explaining to friends, family and potential customers!