Ken's Corner
McDonald’s Wi-Fi: They’re lovin’ it.
Laptops are great if you need a computer for work or traveling. Most hotels and a lot of fast-food restaurants have public Wi-Fi, so you can use your computer online while you sip your coffee or satisfy that Big Mac Attack. Plan your itinerary, check for construction, buy airline tickets…
DON’T buy those tickets. Using public Wi-Fi to access sensitive information is generally not a good idea unless you find the idea of a massive contribution to a thief down the street appealing to you.
Public Wi-Fi is exactly that: Public. All the safeguards you have on your home network are missing; and since you’re on a network that others have access to, everything you send out can be accessed by anyone else on the network (This is why it’s very important to make sure your home internet is password-protected.).
Sometimes, though, you don’t have a lot of choice. If an emergency of some sort changes your travel plans or necessitates some online spending and you have to access bank, credit card, or private information, you can minimize your risks.
Make sure your firewall is turned on. A firewall controls what goes out and – more importantly – what goes into your computer. Your home modem/router normally has one built-in as hardware, while Windows and MacOS have a software version. For Windows 11, select Start, then open Settings. Under Privacy & security, select Windows Security and Firewall and network protection. Select a network profile: in this case, a public network. Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, make sure the setting is On. This will help secure your data, but it is not foolproof.
If you anticipate using your computer on public Wi-Fi a lot, investing in a VPN is a good idea. Virtual Private Networks are connections that are encrypted and mask your IP address, making your data unreadable by anyone intercepting your transmission. A side benefit of VPNs is they do not follow the same guidelines as the network you’re using. If, for instance, the hotel internet will not allow you to check the rates from other hotel chains, your VPN will ignore that restriction.
If you’re interested in getting a VPN, call Connecting Point Computer Center at 815-223-1052 and talk to one of our representatives.
If there are computer questions you’d like answered, contact me at .
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- Written by: CPCC & IVNet
- Category: Ken's Corner
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