7 Useful Tips for Anyone Connecting to Public Wi-Fi
It’s no longer Hard to find Wi-Fi when you leave the house. Hotels, restaurants, bars, transportation hubs, sports stadiums, stores, city parks, and many other places today offer Internet connectivity, and access is often free if you’re willing to give up an email address.
This makes it much easier to stay connected, whether you’re working away from the office or trying to catch up on your favorite TV show on vacation. But the growing ubiquity and convenience of public Wi-Fi doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to take more advantage of it and better protect yourself when you’re online.
These networks are not the same as the Wi-Fi in your home or office, which means there are different points to consider. Here’s how to stay connected to public Wi-Fi expertly.
1. Improve speeds
You’re somewhat limited when it comes to improving public Wi-Fi speeds because you don’t actually control the network, but there are ways to optimize performance. For example, minimize your apps and browser tabs and perhaps temporarily turn off those cloud storage syncs.
Experimenting with different positions can help ensure a faster connection. Even if you’re in a hotel lobby or a coffee shop, it makes more difference than you think. The main router should be somewhere visible, so look for it. If there are multiple public Wi-Fi networks in your area, try switching to a network lower in the list that fewer people may be connected to.
It’s not always possible, but connect your laptop to a wired Ethernet connection wherever you can, as you’ll benefit from better speeds and less interference from other people. You can sometimes find wired connections in hotel rooms and coworking spaces, and if you frequent these places, it might be worth getting an adapter just for this purpose.
2. Use a VPN
A VPN is recommended when connecting to Wi-Fi.David Nield
It’s a big problem. VPN (virtual private network) apps are often sold as a way to spoof your location and prevent other parties from tracking your online browsing, but they also work great for staying safe on public Wi-Fi. Essentially, they make it much harder for someone else on the same Wi-Fi network to see what you’re doing.
