It’s not important what you do for a living or how old you are, if you have a computer or a smartphone, wi-fi connections are a part of your daily routine. That’s especially true if you love to work from various coffee shops where you have to connect to public wi-fi networks. There is a popular belief that public wi-fi networks are not safe and that you may be a victim of a hacker attack. How true is that and how secure are the public wi-fi networks? Also, how can you make sure your home wi-fi network is secure? Those are the questions most users have when it comes to wi-fi and today we are going to answer them. If you find this subject relatable, make sure to write things down.
Are Public Wi-Fi Networks Secure?
It’s safe to say that this is a very complicated question. Simply put, some public wi-fi networks are secure and some are not. However, if you want to be safe, you should just assume that public wi-fi networks are not secure. But, why is that the case? The answer is simple, people who provide their guests with free wi-fi access simply don’t want to bother with strong router passwords and encryption. That means if you use a public wi-fi network and go to a site that is also not secure, there’s a chance hackers may steal your personal data and login credentials. That’s why you should only use public wi-fi networks at establishments you trust.
How To Use Public Wi-Fi Safely?
Don’t Connect To Suspicious Sites
A lot of people think that if they see https in the web address, it’s a secure connection to the website. Sure, in most cases that’s what it is, but just because you see https does not mean a website is legit. Unfortunately, scammers and hackers know how to encrypt sites, too. What does that mean? It means that your data is encrypted on its way to the site, but it won’t be safe from scammers who are on that site.
Use VPN
You should know that there are virtual private networks, known as VPNs, that offer encryption. If you suspect that a wi-fi network is not secure, use VPN.
Use your mobile data
If you don’t know if the wi-fi network is secure and you can’t use VPN, then the best option for you is to use your mobile data. Especially if you must enter sensitive data on a website.
How To Make Your Home Wi-Fi Network Secure?
The only secure wi-fi connection is the one you have at home. However, that’s the case only when you do what’s necessary to make the network secure. But, how to secure your home wi-fi network? Here are your options.
Change The Default Name Of Your Wi-Fi Network
One of the most important things you must do is change the service set identifier or the SSID. Simply put, the SSID is the network’s name. The company that sells you their service will put a default name on your network and router. Usually, it’s the company name. Displaying that kind of data may make things easier for a hacker to break into your network. The best thing you can do is to change the name and put something that won’t disclose your personal data.
Create A Good Wireless Network Password
This may seem a bit obvious, but you would be surprised to know how lazy people are when it comes to creating network passwords. They simply want to make things convenient for them. That is understandable, but it also makes things convenient for hackers. That’s why you should try to make a good password and make things complicated for people who want to hack your network.
Enable Network Encryption
When you get a wireless router, make sure to enable the encryption feature. That can help secure your network. Do that after the provider installs the router. There are many types of encryption available, but the “WPA2” is the best option for you.
