Using university's internet connection for enternetainment

Ryan.Maloney

Okay, this maybe a bit naughty I know, but if you legally buy tones of music, you may be able to just do it at uni .

get a usb2 mobile hard drive (no drivers, they are very small & discreet),

Plug into the uni computer, downlaod away, then just take it home (iTunes works from my laptop on the uni wireless network, russian website allofmp3.com works just fine)


This is probably against all uni rules, as it's not for education;)

Serenity

I wouldn't do it, it can slow down the network for other students which is unfair. Also it is against the rules at my uni and personally I wouldn't make my allofmp3 purchases through a public network given its slightly dodgy status.

Voyager2002

Also, the university gets charged per gig of information that flows through its network. Student downloading of entertainment can make a significant difference to the cost. If lots of people do as the OP suggests, the unis will just clamp down on student internet access and make life worse for everyone.

melancholly

Even 4 years ago when I was an undergraduate there were strict limits on downloading using the university network with fines in place for those who chose to download movies and mp3s. i can only imagine that the restrictions have tightened up significantly since then.

ryan -i think some of your posts are going a bit beyond the spirit of MSE - it's about getting the best for your money, but not by taking advantage of people/situations to this degree. and if you are going bankrupt then it begs the question of why you own an expensive ipod and are downloading lots of music. for anyone trying to makes ends meet by scrimping and saving this sounds like irresponsible spending.

talksalot81

And inspite of the data not being on a uni machine or server, they can still see exactly what you have downloaded, where it came from, how big it was....

Unis will let you away with small things, maybe give you a slap on the wrist, block the site and say 'dont do it again', but doing as you suggest very clearly indicates you have thought it through and are not likely to be a one off offender, hence you could find yourself in real trouble over it. And dont think the admins are daft old fools, because they are not and will be fully aware of the tricks (since they will see them all the time).

So if I were you, I wouldnt risk it.

Middlers

Does the Uni wireless broadband allow Skype please?

rharper83

That depends entirely on the university. Some will allow it, and others will simply block the port that it uses. Perhaps you could ask the Information Services people at your uni?

Skyhigh

I'm quite sure that anyone who is/went to uni signed a nice form when they signed up in their first year, probably many of them, but one would have given them rights to fully investigate all your IT account usage, and even using 'packet sniffing' techniques if required.

Oh and downloading restricted media over a network can also be classed as 'bandwidth theft' and (thanks to the new laws!) you can be counted as a terrorist - no joke, if they wanted to prosecute you'd face some nasty fines and time.
(But thats the extreme, they'd probably just slap your wrists at Uni or kick you off your course for Misuse).

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