Is wi-fi hacking legal?

WI-Fi is a wireless technology for wireless LAN. It is a trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance. We can connect devices based on IEEE 802.11 standards like smartphones, laptops, tablets etc. Wi-Fi is very familiar nowadays as it does not need any burden of wires or other connecting hardware for the use of internet services. A single touch or the authenticate entry of pin or passwords are enough to get the connectivity. It can be free or protected. Free wi-fi can be connected easily without any password entry while protected one needs some authenticated ids along with the password.

Even the protected wi-fi is easily accessed by the users with the use of some password breaker software or other techniques which is known as wi-fi hacking. These types of software are also found free at app stores and people are using them to hack their nearby wi-fi.

But the main question is that “”Is wifi hacking legal?”

There are many debates on this topic whether to claim it legal or illegal. Many experts have provided their own views and statement to support their opinion. Also, some of them say that wifi hacking is not always illegal. Depending on the activity they have been doing after hacking the wifi the hacker must be charged.

If someone is not making their wifi network safe from hackers then it is likely to be hacked even by the non-hackers or the simple internet users. If the hacker only accessed the wi-fi router’s internet connection and not the computer connected to the router, then he did not violate hacking laws, because a WiFi router does not fit into the computer definition dictated by the law in the Netherlands. According to the ruling, the definition of a computer only includes devices capable of storing, transferring and processing data. Whereas a WiFi router, designed only for transferring and processing data, lacks data storage. Subsequently, a person hacking a wi-fi router cannot be prosecuted under the prevailing law of computer hacking.

Also, if you are hacking for the testing process from all your known devices and known networks then also it is not supposed to be illegal.It means if you have multiple devices and you are trying to know the password or trying to access your other devices then it is not a crime.

To be honest, if someone has not protected their wi-fi or other networks then it is unlikely that they will even know who else is using their internet. Also, they probably won’t have any knowledge of tracking who is using their internet.


Wi-fi hacking is also known as piggybacking. Piggybacking on Internet access is the practice of establishing a wireless Internet connection by using another subscriber's wireless Internet access service without the subscriber's explicit permission or knowledge. You could be charged under the Communications Act for dishonestly obtaining communications services. The Act says: "A person who (a) dishonestly obtains an electronic communications service, and (b) does so with an intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service, is guilty of an offense."

You are disguising your identity/performing identity theft. Once you joined the network anything you do will be seen from the outside of the network (from the Internet) as coming from that network. This means that if you download pirated software with your neighbor’s wifi connection authorities would think that your neighbor did it. Not only these any kind of cyber crime done by the hacker staying in your network then the device is identified as your networked device which will make the police difficult to identify the hacker.

So, it is important to make your network secure from hacking.