Stay secure when using public unsecured Wi-Fi  networks in shops, restaurants, hotels, libraries, etc.

ISP modem routers - ASUS RT-AC68U AC1900 AiMesh Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless Dedicated Router
ISP modem routers - ASUS RT-AC68U AC1900 AiMesh Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless Dedicated Router

Note that it is always better for both higher speed and security to use a cabled Ethernet connection to the most common type of broadband connection in the UK and USA – an ADSL modem router – that also provides wireless Wi-Fi connections.

Wi-Fi must be enabled in the router settings in order for the Wi-Fi (Show available networks) setting to appear in the Win10 settings. To see the network settings clearly, click on the image below. Likewise, the Ethernet option only appears if an Ethernet connection is in use.

Unsecured Wi-Fi networks - The network settings in Windows 10
Unsecured Wi-Fi networks – The network settings in Windows 10. Click on the image to view its full size

Never use unsecured Wi-Fi networks

Never use unsecured Wi-Fi networks, because anyone could be monitoring them. If, say, while staying at a hotel, you are provided with a password to access the Internet over its wireless network and the staff tell you can use both a Wi-Fi and a wired Ethernet connection that are both secure, any laptop or tablet that you use to make use of the Wi-Fi connection will tell you if the connection is secured or not. That is, if the connection is encrypted with WEP (cracked), WPA (cracked) or WPA2 (not cracked yet, so this is the one you should use).

A cabled Ethernet connection does not broadcast a signal and therefore is secure – if there is no malware on the computer monitoring the connection.  But when using unsecured (unencrypted) Wi-Fi networks, make sure that your network traffic is using nothing less than WPA2 encryption.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access

Unsecured Wi-Fi networks – Manage wireless networks

Note that you can customise the SSID and wireless login encryption key via a broadband router’s webpage-based settings. All Internet service providers provide the default username/password to access their routers’ settings, usually on a card and/or on the bottom of the router. You enter the IP address (e.g. – 192.168.1.1) into a web browser’s address bar to bring up access to the router’s settings. Then you enter the user name (usually admin) and the password.

Windows 8.1 and Win10 network settings

In Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, Microsoft has done away with Manage wireless networks that is part of the Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7. With every update, Microsoft is moving more and more settings to Start => Settings. In Windows 10 the click path to network settings is Start => Settings => Network & Internet. Below is link to a video on managing wireless network in Windows 10. It includes showing how to make up for what is missing in Win10 compared to Win7 by using a third-party solution.

Windows 7 network settings

To check the security in Windows 7 follow the following click path: Start => Control Panel => Network and Sharing Center => Manage wireless networks => The SSID (network name) of wireless network being used => Security: WPA2-Personal or WPA2-secured (this is the level of encryption being used for the connection).

How to Manage Wireless Wi-Fi Networks in Windows 10 –

Disable file sharing in Windows

If no Wi-Fi security is available where you are, use the Ethernet connection because even though only the hotel’s guests have the encryption login key, they could all access your computer if, say, file-sharing is enabled in Windows. You can disable file sharing in all versions of Windows. If you need to know how to do that, web-search for: disable file sharing [your version of Windows].

Note that the WPA2 encryption that a Wi-Fi connection uses ends at the router in the hotel room. After what your computer sends to the web gets past the router on to the hotel’s network, it is no longer encrypted and can therefore be read by a third party. That is why it is best to use a cabled Ethernet connection wherever possible.

Public or semi-public networks always have security weaknesses

When using any public or semi-public network there are numerous security weaknesses that people with the know-how can exploit. Therefore, it’s essential to use your own security methods.

Network location – Home, Work or Public

The first measure to take is to make Windows assign the type of network location – Home, Work, or Public.

Change network type from Public to Private in Windows 10 –

http://www.opentechguides.com/how-to/article/windows-10/77/win10-change-network-type.html

To do that in Windows 7, follow this click path: Start => Control Panel => Network and Sharing Center.

The option you must select is Public, which adjusts your Windows computer’s firewall rules and the Windows file-and-printer-sharing settings. The computer and its contents are also not visible to other computers on the hotel’s shared wireless network.

HTTP Secure – https

The next step to take in overcoming unsecured wireless networks is to use https instead of http (see the link above, which uses http) in the URL addresses of the websites you visit. The s added to http makes the site use a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure connection that makes use of bidirectional encryption between the web browser being used and the website being visiting. Most banking sites and sites that require the user to enter login information use https by default.

Note that if a website does not support HTTP Secure, adding https to its URL won’t work.

HTTP Secure – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Secure

How to Encrypt Your Internet Traffic  –

https://pixelprivacy.com/resources/how-to-encrypt-your-traffic/

For example, enter http://www.paypal.com/ into a web browser’s address bar and watch it change to https://www.paypal.com/. The https provides 2048-bit end-to-end encrypted connections. Also note the green closed-padlock icon in the address bar, which indicates that it is a site that is using https encryption.

HTTPS Everywhere from https://www.eff.org/HTTPS-EVERYWHERE “is a Firefox, Chrome, and Opera extension that encrypts your communications with many major websites, making your browsing more secure”.

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection is the best way to maintain security on a public wireless network – to overcome unsecured wireless networks.

A VPN adds an additional layer of encryption between the connecting computer and the VPN provider’s server, which connects to the servers of the websites you access. Combined with HTTPS, a VPN provides a very secure wireless connection if the computer itself is free from malware and has file and printer sharing disabled. A VPN doesn’t take more than a few minutes to set up; thereafter connections only take seconds. VPN services are either free and supported by ads or paid-for costing a few US dollars.

Virtual private network –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network

If a wired Ethernet connection is available it’s best to use it instead of a wireless connection because doing so creates a direct connection from the user’s computer to the network, which is secure if your computer doesn’t have any malware infections and has file-and-printer-sharing disabled.

Shops don’t usually provide Ethernet connections but many hotels do, so it’s always a good idea to pack an Ethernet cable in your luggage when travelling.

Posts on VPNs on this website

Does using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) protect your privacy from hackers and legal invasions such as the UK Snoopers Charter? –

Does using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) protect your privacy from hackers and legal invasions such as the UK Snoopers Charter?

Opera, a fast, secure, easy-to-use web browser that provides a free VPN and ad blocker –

Opera web-browser with ad-blocker and free VPN

About Eric 275 Articles
I am an experienced PC technician who has been the owner and sole writer of the PC Buyer Beware! website since 2004. I am learning all the time in this very dynamic, ever-changing field.