My signal dropped out, and instead of the call out at the bottom of the screen telling me I can't connect to my network, it had a different network name in it :suspect:

I've since deleted the obsolete list of other people's networks I've used in the past, including this thing I don't recognise at all, but how did it happen, and how much panicking should I do?

And come to think of it, how do I check nobody has remote access :suspect:
(I've had a quick poke about but can't find anything relevant to alter the settings on)

You will be prosecuted and sent to prison and may be deported to america for piggy backing on to someone elses network....:hihi:

The networks in my range sound so interesting. 'House of Pain', I want to join. 'Camilla' sounds like fun too.

Using someone's hotspot without permission is illegal. You could get hammered if anyone ever found out.
However, simply never connect and you'll be fine.
As for hotspot names, I've mostly seen boring ones like, "Telkom hotspot free" but there is the odd interesting one around.
Mine's called "sheepshagger".

The ones I've used in the past were at friends' houses :rolleyes:

I've no idea why or how I wound up connected to this other thing though

Glad to see the SF tradition of ignoring the OP and posting something else is being upheld :suspect:

I've no idea why or how I wound up connected to this other thing though

Your connection dropped, so windows used the first available network it could find that you could use.

There's a setting somewhere that says something like "use any available network" or words to that affect. Presumably it's selected and so when you're network went down it changed to the next strongest signal.
I doubt that the owner of that network new about it or that your PC was compromised from it.