Public WiFi networks are practically everywhere and help us save data on our rate if we want to surf the Internet , work or even watch series and movies. We use them when we travel in hotels, airports, trains and even airplanes but also when we are in our city to access the Internet from a cafeteria or a shopping center.
Are they recommendable? No. They have many risks and dangers but we are going to explain everything you need to know about them when connecting to a public WiFi network. What types are there? You can find many different models but there are also some tricks to connect safely.
Public WiFi types
It will depend on the network in question that we can connect to a public WiFi in one way or another. It may be a network that we can access without any type of password, simply by connecting to the wireless network from the settings of the mobile phone or the resource center and networks of the computer.
Fully open
Just tap on the WiFi network to start using them. They are open to all who pass. It can be in a park with the City Hall WiFi or on a bus in some cities that allow us to connect without any type of authentication. No need to log in or register or any password.
Closed but public
It is not open to everyone but there are thousands of people or hundreds of them. For example, imagine you go to a hotel where 700 people are staying. All clients have the hotel password and all share a wireless network even if a password has to be entered. It may seem more secure than an open network because no one can enter “from outside” but there are hundreds or thousands of people sharing connection and there are also many associated risks.
In this case, the process is the same as connecting to any Wi-Fi network at a friend’s house or at your own home: you choose the network from settings and enter the password. Of course, in the next few paragraphs we will explain how to mark the network as Public to avoid access from other computers, although it is advisable that you take care of what you do and the data that you are going to give.
With username and password
Some open WiFi networks will ask us to register with a username and password in order to navigate. This is the case, for example, of airport networks where they ask for your email and a password so that you can temporarily access the Internet through it. This is also the case of the Renfe WiFi network that will ask you to access with your RENFE card number or your ticket number as well as with a password or an email. In that case, we advise you to bet on an email that you do not use too much and that you never repeat a password that you have already used in a social network, application, etc.
That you are going to log in with a series of data does not imply that they are more secure or does not imply that they are necessarily secure since it is a record of just three seconds and you will also be exposed to other people who are connected to the same network.
Social networks and likes
There are other types of public networks in which the way to connect to this WiFi is not through passwords or registrations but you have to share on social networks or give access. Generally you need to give access to your Facebook profileto “publish on your behalf.” You may think … what difference does it make? We like or enter Facebook from the app itself (it happens in some chain restaurants and coffee shops) and we can now navigate. Allowing access to a social network in which you have photographs, data, personal information and contacts is not the best of ideas, so we advise you to look for an alternative. If you want to connect, the process is similar to all the previous ones, although we will find a Facebook button and other social networks where they invite you to share where you are in order to surf the Internet.
How to connect
All the previous public WiFi networks connect in a common way: through the WiFi of your device. It will depend on each of them that later we have to put a password or not, create an account or not, register on Facebook or not. But in all you must be careful.
On mobile phone
- Open your mobile phone settings
- Go to the first section: WiFi
- Search for the corresponding network to which you are going to connect
- Tap on it
- Wait a few seconds
- You can start browsing
In case you have a password, just enter it and start browsing. It may be open and you have to register, but follow the steps above, open your mobile phone browser and the registration page will appear.
In the computer
- Go to the Windows Start bar
- In the lower right corner, click on the WiFi icon
- Available or nearby networks will appear
- Choose the one you want
- connect
You will have to enter a password in the case of some hotels or conferences, as we have explained. If it is open and needs registration, you will have to go to the browser and log in as we explain in the next section.
Log in
In this option, if you want the login web page to appear in a public place, you can. Generally, it appears automatically when we open the browser on our mobile phone or computer, but we don’t always succeed. Luckily, there is a trick we can use to force the home page to appear to log into the router of that hotel, restaurant, etc.
To do this, the three steps we must follow are:
- Open the browser on your mobile phone or on the computer
- Type routerlogin.net in the search bar
- It will redirect you to the login page
- Write the username and password you have
If this option does not work or you simply want an alternative, just clear the cache of the web browser, either on the phone or on the computer.
In the case of Google Chrome, the steps you can follow are:
- Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner
- Open the Settings section in the drop-down menu
- Go to “Privacy and security” in the menu on the left.
- Choose the option “Cookies and other website data”
- Check the options you want to delete
- Clear the cache
Private network and public network
Windows 10 allows us to choose between private network and public network when we connect to any wireless network. What difference there are? The private network is recommended when you are in control of the network and the devices on it. In this case, your house or your parents’ house. But if you are going to connect in a hotel or in a conference, Windows allows us to choose the option “public network”.
The public network of Windows 10 can be chosen when we have access to a WiFi connection that can be with a password (at work, in a private hotel, in a meeting or congress) but we do not know if all the devices that are connected at the same time they are reliable . In that case, we mark this option so that no computer can connect to ours.
The options can be changed from the Windows settings if you have already checked one or the other and have regretted it. Generally, the computer will ask you to connect but it may be that you have given it by mistake.
- Open Settings
- Go to the menu “Network and Internet”
- Open the WiFi section of your computer
You will see if the WiFi is activated or deactivated but also what options or settings it has at that moment. Touch on the network to see the options and you will see two sections or buttons, as you can see in the screenshot: Public or Private Network. Change if you made a mistake or discovered this “trick” after your connection.
Use VPN
If you have no choice but to surf the Internet over a public WiFi network, use VPN. The best you can do in these cases is to use a virtual private network or VPN for your mobile phone or for your computer. It is especially recommended if you usually work with these networks, for example, because you usually travel.
The VPN helps us create a kind of private and protected tunnel through which our data travels safely. There are paid VPNs with which we can browse without limits or install them on several devices and they are the most recommended if you are going to do this frequently (for work, for example) But there are also some free VPNs that you can install in a timely manner if you simply need to browse once a month or for something very specific.
It does not require any type of configuration and you will only connect to a server in another country that will hide your data. What the VN or Virtual Private Network does is allow us to surf anonymously and they cannot steal your data even if there is a hacker connected to it since your data travels in an encrypted way and that encryption allows us to navigate without taking risks.
¿ What VPN use ? There are many and you can find the one that best suits plans, prices or features, but some of the recommended ones are:
- Proton VPN
- Betternet
- TunnelBear
- Hide.me
How to protect yourself
Beyond a VPN or if you don’t want to use it, there are a number of tips and tricks that can help you protect yourself. The best protection is not to use them but you will not always heed this recommendation so, at least, stay protected if you are going to browse open WiFi networks. Keep in mind that not all of them have to be dangerous and that there should not necessarily be a cybercriminal in the next room at your hotel, but it will be better to avoid having to face the consequences.
Incognito browsing
This is not so much for using your own phone or computer when browsing the Internet on a public WiFi network but when connecting to a computer that you are going to share with many people. For example, at the university. In this case, it is best to open an incognito window in the browser so that what you have done or where you have entered is not recorded. Incognito browsing will allow us to browse without the visited pages or cookies being stored, so you will not leave a trace.
Use an antivirus
Even if you don’t normally use it, you should have an antivirus installed on your mobile phone or computer so that it is able to detect any problem the moment it “enters” it. This will block access and prevent it from stealing your data, damaging any file, etc. You can activate Windows antivirus if you do not have it installed or activated already or you can only download an antivirus on your mobile or tablet if you are going to work from a hotel, etc.
Update everything
Make sure everything is up to date because that way, if there is a hacker or cybercriminal watching you, they will not be able to take advantage of security holes.
Never use banking apps
Do not open the banking application when you are connected or connected to a public WiFi network. Neither the bank’s website nor your payment application.
Avoid using them to give information, make payments
Common sense is the key to avoiding “dramas” on the Internet using a public WiFi network. If you have no choice but to use it or want to ignore the advice, go for it. But do not buy online while connected to this type of network. It is completely unsafe to do any kind of cheap transaction on a public WiFi network so wait until you get home.
Another thing that you should avoid, as far as possible, is giving your personal data in any form. For example, registering for a food delivery app by giving your card, your phone number, your email or your social media account. These data can be used by anyone who accesses them through this public network. In the best case to send you advertising. At worst, to steal your account or information. Do not send any type of password or key that you have, of any social network or service or stores. Not, of course, your bank password.
Check that it is an https web
Before accessing a website (if you have no choice, as we have already said), make sure that it is a website with https connectivity and not http. This helps us to know that it is a secure website that can prevent another person on the same connected network from accessing the data. You will not be able to avoid it 100% but you will improve safety when browsing.
