Almost everyone I know has a WiFi network in their house. For under $100.00 you can turn your wired mess into a personal internet hotspot. Most people plug in their newly purchased routers, turn on the computer, and start surfing the web. An unencrypted network is not an uncommon occurrence. What most people don’t know about is “wardriving” (driving around looking for unencrypted WiFi networks).
Illegal activity can be conducted on your open network unless you take a few precautions. Some people ask me, “is it illegal to steal WiFi if your neighbor doesn’t have a password on their network?” I answer that I don’t know. But one guy got charged a 3rd degree felon for doing so.