7 Useful Tips for Anyone Connecting to Public Wi-Fi

it is no longer It’s hard to find Wi-Fi when you leave home. Hotels, restaurants, bars, transportation hubs, sports stadiums, stores, city parks and many other places nowadays 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 keep up with your favorite TV show on vacation. But the increasing ubiquity and convenience of public Wi-Fi doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make the most of it and better protect yourself when you’re online.

These networks are not the same as your home or office Wi-Fi, and that means there are different points to consider. Here’s how to stay connected to public Wi-Fi the expert way.

1. Improve speed

You’re somewhat limited when it comes to improving speeds on public Wi-Fi because you don’t actually control the network, but there are some ways to maximize performance. For example, keep your apps and browser tabs to a minimum, and maybe turn off those cloud storage syncs temporarily.

Experimenting with different conditions can help you secure a faster connection. Even if you’re in a hotel lobby or coffee shop, it makes more of a difference than you might think. The main router should be visible somewhere, so look for it. If there are multiple public Wi-Fi networks in your location, try switching to one lower on the list that will have fewer people connected.

This isn’t always possible, but wherever possible connect your laptop to a wired Ethernet connection, as you’ll see better speeds and less interference from other people. You can sometimes find wired connections in hotel rooms and coworking spaces, and if you frequent those places, it may be worth getting an adapter for this purpose.

2. Use a VPN

A VPN is recommended when connecting to Wi-Fi.david neeld

This is the big one. 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 really well for staying safe on public Wi-Fi. Essentially, they make it more difficult for someone else on the same Wi-Fi network to see what you’re doing.