Share your Internet connection with neighbors
Internet access can get expensive. Where I am, a cable Internet connection costs $45 a month. However, I’ve made it a bit cheaper by sharing the connection with my neighbors.
No, I don’t steal their Internet access. That seems like an attractive solution to lots of people but, all legalities aside, it just does not provide a steady Internet connection or the promise of consistent access. Trust me, I’ve been in situations in the past where I had to “borrow” Internet access in this way and the day you stop getting access to it is very frustrating.
These days, I have a deal set up with my neighbors where we share the Internet connection, and the set-up is very simple. (This tip largely applies to apartment-dwellers like me, but is also relevant to those living in neighborhoods with densely-packed houses.)
If your dwellings are very close, then you will only need one wireless router. Set everything up, put a password on it, give the neighbors a password, and set up a payment system with them. You’re done.
If the connection is not consistently strong for your neighbors, what you’ll need is a wireless router with WDS (Wireless Distribution System) enabled. Most new wireless routers have this built-in straight out of the box. If you are a Mac user, Apple makes it very easy to set up with their Airport Extreme and Airport Express base stations. Simply have your primary wireless router sending the Internet signal out, and then set up the second router in your neighbor’s place where the signal is the strongest. WDS will work with the router to simply “extend” the wireless connection.
I work in tech support and, trust me, I know that this can be very confusing to most people. What I’m trying to get at is that it is easy to set up an Internet-splitting deal with your neighbors, and that you should do it! My instructions here are not meant to tell you exactly how to get it done, but rather to get you started on the right path. Consult your hardware’s manuals when setting it up to see how to do everything properly, and also don’t forget the power of a good Google search. My job here is to plant some ideas in your head, give you an idea of where to get started, and finally encourage you: get started!
