Without these rules, you’d better ignore public WiFi connections

We can finally travel again. Whether you’re traveling to a distant destination or hitting up the local cafe, you’ll be dealing with a public WiFi connection. Although these connections seem harmless, they can cause a lot of problems. Time for a refresher course.

Users connected to the same WiFi connection can easily track your data. Not only is this a privacy issue, but it also has major implications for your online security. Fortunately, you can protect yourself in several ways.

4 ways to stay safe on a public WiFi connection

Staying safe on a public WiFi connection isn’t difficult at all. Most measures should have been installed automatically on your PC. So easy! If you are going to use these four options, there is a good chance that your online data will not be misused by third parties.

1. Pay close attention to which WiFi connections you use

First of all, it is important that you choose the public networks carefully. Especially if you are lax with other protective measures. Anyone can easily scan the wrong online that is connected to a WiFi connection. All you need to do is install a program that can store these data packets. If you exchange unencrypted data with a website, then your sensitive information is undoubtedly up for grabs.

Therefore, avoid networks of which you do not know the administrators. There are of course exceptions. For example, department stores, hotels and airports are quite safe. They don’t set their WiFi to spy on users. Also pay attention to the spelling of network names. If networks have a strange name, they are usually not pure. You are not there yet with this measure. Since everyone has access to public WiFi, you need some extra protections.

2. Enable firewall

Leaving your computer’s TCP and UDP ports open is similar to grocery shopping without locking the front and back doors. To protect yourself optimally against hackers, you need a virtual lock. That’s what firewall software does. On Windows 10 and 11, your PC has a firewall enabled by default. Fortunately, if for some reason it is not enabled for you, you can easily set it up. Go to the settings. Then type “Firewall and network security” in the search bar. Here you can manually enable firewall protection. If your PC does not have a built-in firewall program, you can also download it.

3. Use as many HTTPS websites as possible when using public WiFi

When you visit websites, make sure that data is sent over an encrypted connection. If this does not happen, anyone using the same WiFi connection can see the data exchanged between you and the website. This includes any sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords. With an encrypted connection, other people can only see which website you are on. Most websites these days do this automatically, but some older sites don’t have it yet. Your browser warns you when you are not optimally protected, but you can also look this up manually. All you have to look for is ‘https’ at the beginning of the hyperlink.

4. Enable a VPN

Other people can therefore see which website you are on, even with an encrypted connection. If you’re using Google or killing time on TikTok, you might not care. Yet there are times when you would rather not want this, such as when checking your bank balance. You can protect your privacy by routing internet activity through a virtual private network (VPN). To use it, first connect to the Wifi. Then you connect the VPN. After that you can use the internet as usual. All your internet traffic goes through the VPN’s servers. This monitors network traffic and ensures that your data is not exchanged with the websites you visit and vice versa.