Sorry about the remark about Florida ( I was just kidding). Usually I can tell an unsecured public access point by the station ID (SID). If it says Starbucks or McDonalds they expect you to connect. If it has a SID with a router manufacturer name, such as linksys345 then it is most likely a private home that did their own installation and did not bother or did not know how to secure it. As far as legal or not, if your neighbor doesn't lock his front door it doesn't mean you can walk into his home. Our city of Riverside got smart and installed free WiFi throughout the city. No excuses to "steal" a connection.