Have you ever eyed your phone, seen a tempting WiFi network named something like “JansenFamily_5G,” and wondered… should I? Most of us feel a tiny pang of guilt even thinking about it. In many countries that fleeting temptation is quickly crushed by the fear of doing something borderline illegal, or at least deeply uncool.
Not in the Netherlands, apparently.
A fresh survey reveals that roughly one in six Dutch internet users—16 percent to be exact—primarily get online at home by connecting to their neighbor’s router or their landlord’s signal. That’s double the rate seen in Germany or France, and four to five times higher than in the United States or United Kingdom. Honestly, when I first saw the numbers I had to do a double-take.
A Nation Comfortable with Open Signals
The Dutch have always had a reputation for being straightforward, pragmatic, and just a little bit rebellious when it comes to rules that don’t make much sense. This WiFi habit seems to be the perfect modern expression of that mindset.
But let’s dig deeper than stereotypes. There are some very concrete reasons why borrowing the neighbor’s connection feels normal—and perfectly acceptable—to so many people there.
The Legal Gray Area That Isn’t Very Gray
Here’s something that blows most people’s minds: in the Netherlands, simply connecting to someone else’s unsecured or password-shared WiFi network is not considered computer trespass in the same way it is in many other countries.
Crack a password or break encryption? That’s illegal, full stop. But if the network is open or if your neighbor handed you the password with a casual “yeah, just use ours,” Dutch courts have historically treated it as a civil matter between neighbors at worst, not a criminal hacking case.
Using an unsecured WiFi connection without further intrusive actions does not constitute unauthorized access under Dutch criminal law.
– Summary of prevailing legal opinion in the Netherlands
Contrast that with Germany, where the famous 2010 court ruling made the owner of an open WiFi network potentially liable for illegal downloads done through it—prompting a nationwide panic of password-protecting everything. In the U.S., the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act can turn “borrowing” WiFi into a federal offense if prosecutors feel creative.
Legal clarity (or the lack of legal threat) changes behavior fast.
Sky-High Internet Prices Meet a Sharing Culture
Let’s talk money. The Netherlands has some of the fastest internet in the world—average fixed-line speeds routinely top 100 Mbps, often 500 Mbps or more—but it isn’t always cheap, especially for students, young professionals, or anyone living in older canal houses with tricky wiring.
Add to that the famous Dutch directness. If your neighbor’s signal reaches your living room stronger than the one you’re paying for, the conversation tends to go like this:
“Hey Pieter, your WiFi is super strong here. Mind if I hop on?”
“Sure, password is our cat’s birthday. Just don’t download torrents, alright?”
Deal sealed over a quick coffee. No judgment, no drama.
- High student population in cities like Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Groningen
- Dense urban living where signals easily overlap
- Cultural norm of “gezelligheid”—cozy togetherness—that extends to digital life
- Reluctance to pay for something you can reasonably get for free
All of these ingredients create a perfect storm of casual WiFi sharing.
Broadband Penetration Tells Only Half the Story
One of the more surprising findings from the same survey: only 41 percent of Dutch respondents said they mainly use a fixed broadband connection at home. That number feels low for a country famous for its digital infrastructure.
But once you realize many people are happily piggybacking on someone else’s fiber line, the puzzle pieces click. Why pay €45–60 a month for your own 1 Gbps plan when your upstairs neighbor’s 500 Mbps plan works just fine on your couch?
In my experience traveling through the Randstad, I’ve seen entire student houses where exactly one person has the official contract, and everyone else just uses that one login. It’s treated like splitting the electricity bill—practical, not sneaky.
| Country | Neighbor/Landlord WiFi as Primary Connection | Own Broadband |
| Netherlands | 16% | 41% |
| Germany | 8% | ~70% |
| France | 8% | ~68% |
| United Kingdom | 3% | 63% |
| United States | 4% | 37% |
The U.S. number for own broadband looks oddly low too, but that’s a different story involving rural coverage gaps and monopolistic cable companies.
Privacy Paradox or Pragmatism?
Here’s where it gets philosophically interesting. The Dutch consistently rank among the most privacy-conscious people in Europe—strict GDPR enforcement, cash still widely used, fierce debates about digital ID cards.
Yet they’re totally fine sharing the same internet pipe that sees all their traffic. How do we square that circle?
The answer seems to be trust. When you personally know the person whose network you’re on, the abstract fear of “someone seeing my data” shrinks dramatically. You’re not worried about faceless corporations or Eastern European hackers; you’re worried about Pieter upstairs judging your Netflix habits. And honestly? Pieter doesn’t care.
“If I trust my neighbors enough to water my plants when I’m on holiday, I think we can handle sharing a router.”
– Actual quote overheard in a Delft café
What This Says About the Future of Internet Access
Zoom out for a second. We’re heading toward a world of mesh networks, municipal WiFi, and satellite blankets like Starlink. The very idea of “my WiFi” versus “your WiFi” is starting to feel a little 2010s.
In a funny way, the Dutch might be early adopters of the mindset we’ll all need eventually: internet access as a shared utility, not a private fortress. The technology isn’t quite there yet for seamless city-wide meshes, but the social acceptance already exists in places like Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is how little friction this causes. You don’t hear stories of neighbor wars over bandwidth hogs. When someone starts lagging during peak hours, a quick WhatsApp message usually solves it. Social norms fill the gap where strict contracts and firewalls rule elsewhere.
Should the Rest of Us Start Asking?
If you live in a country where WiFi sharing still feels taboo, this whole phenomenon can seem alien. But maybe it’s worth reconsidering.
- A polite ask can save you €500–700 a year.
- Modern routers handle multiple devices without breaking a sweat.
- You might actually get to know your neighbors—crazy concept, I know.
- Offering to split the bill fairly turns “borrowing” into legitimate cost-sharing.
Of course, miles may vary. Apartment buildings in Seoul or New York often have a different vibe. But in terraced European cities with thin walls and overlapping signals? The Dutch model starts looking pretty sensible.
Next time you’re complaining about your internet bill, maybe glance at the available networks list and wonder: what would a Dutch person do?
Something tells me the answer involves a lot less guilt and a lot more common sense.
So there you have it—an entire country that turned a universal temptation into everyday practicality. The Dutch didn’t set out to be the world champions of neighborly WiFi borrowing, but a mix of law, culture, and sheer pragmatism made it inevitable.
And honestly? In an age of skyrocketing subscriptions and walled gardens, maybe we could all learn something from their refreshingly open approach to staying connected.
