Public WiFi Networks

If you ever leave the house or office, you’ve probably wanted to connect your computer to someone else’s WiFi at some point. Connecting to a public WiFi network can be a hazardous undertaking, but there are ways to make it safer:

• Use a VPN. You can fairly inexpensively subscribe to a Virtual Private Network service that will conceal your web activity, not just from other people on WiFi, but also from your own internet service provider. Private Internet Access or ExpressVPN are good choices, but there are a lot more out there.

• Use a mobile hotspot or set one up on your phone. If you have a relatively recent iPhone or Android phone, setting it up as a hotspot is pretty straightforward. This turns your phone into your own personal WiFi router and then you can connect your computer to that.

• Use good antivirus/antimalware software and keep it updated! You should be doing this anyway, so if you aren’t, now is a good time to start.

A excerpt from our newsletter - Dispatch Department