28 Using Shared WiFi Connections

Most coffee shops these days offer a free wireless internet connection for their customers. Some are open systems while others need a password, either way it is important to check what the exact name of the Wi-Fi connection is before you go ahead and connect. The same applies for hotel Wi-Fi connections. If there is more than one wireless ID being broadcast, it’s best to avoid connecting.

A standard trick is for a criminal posing as a normal customer to set up an alternative wireless connection with a legitimate sounding name from their laptop, which may even require the same password as a genuine one. The difference is though that they will be able to snoop on everything you are doing online, so it is a good idea to restrict your activities on shared connections to general surfing and other activities that do not require you to enter a password. 

Most modern smartphones allow you to create a ‘personal Wi-Fi hotspot’ to share your mobile’s data connection. In some cases, this can be faster than the shared Wi-Fi being offered due to the number of people using it. If you have a generous data allowance on your mobile connection, I’d consider using that before using any shared Wi-Fi connections. If you really have no choice and need to use a shared Wi-Fi connection, consider using a virtual private network service like Hotspot Shield or F-Secure’s Freedome VPN which limits your exposure by encrypting and redirecting and all your internet traffic through their servers. Test it first though, using your own Wi-Fi connection in case it doesn’t work with the online services you need.

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