We provide a number of Managed WiFi solutions to our clients and they are becoming more and more popular.There is a whole different side to the legal compliances that you should adhere to if providing a WiFi network, however I was keen to explore what security measures we can put in place when we are connecting to a public WiFi network.

The scary thing is that when you do connect to Public WiFi, it is like having a conversation in public, anyone can overhear what you are saying.Information sent from your device goes out in clear text and anyone else on the network can see that information with just a few simple software tools.

Elizabeth Harper wrote a fantastic article on “How to Protect Your Privacy on Public WiFi Networks” last year on techilicious.com. I would highly recommend reading the article.I have briefly summarised the recommendations that she gives below, which is a great start in securing your devices and information when using public WiFi.

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Before you connect, be sure you know whose network you'reconnecting to so you don't fall prey to WiFi honeypots.

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Check to make sure your computer or smartphone is not set up to automatically connect to unknown WiFi networks.

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Make sure to connect to websites via HTTPS, which encrypts anything you send and receive from the website.

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Whenever you can, use two-factor authentication, which requires both a password and a secondary code that changes regularly, for websites.

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Make sure your computer isn't configured to share access to files or be seen on public or guest networks.