Free Wi-Fi hotspots are dangerous (unless you do)

Nowadays, free WiFi hotspots can be found almost everywhere. But before using them on your iPhone or iPad, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Free Wi-Fi hotspots are dangerous (unless you do)

Grab a cup of coffee at your local Starbucks while browsing through your socials via their free WiFi hotspot. Really nice, right? Especially when you only get a certain amount of mobile data per month from your provider. But you still have to be careful when you do this.

Malicious people often prey on these public internet places. The hackers themselves connect to the network and with a special program they can ‘eavesdrop’ on data and steal your data.

It also regularly happens that the hackers create a public WiFi hotspot, with the same name as the free WiFi connection in the area. A kind of fake WiFi network. You cannot see from the outside which of the two hotspots your iPhone connects to, with all the nasty consequences that entails.

But what should you do if you still want to use free WiFi hotspots? And what should you not do? These are our tips!

1. Use your mobile data bundle for important things (and turn off WiFi)

In any case, make sure that you never do your banking when you are connected to a public WiFi network. In that case, it is best to (temporarily) switch off your WiFi connection and simply arrange your affairs via your own mobile data.

2. Internet only through the apps

In any case, it is wise never to forward important matters or personal data when you are connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Watching a video on YouTube or checking your socials is often no problem, but always use the accompanying app. These are usually safer to use than opening the website in question in Safari.

3. Turn on a VPN

If you still have to arrange some important matters via a public WiFi hotspot, it is best to use a VPN. This ‘Virtual Private Network’ ensures that you can go online safely. The network does this by connecting you to the internet via a secure server. This way, your data actually remains only yours and no one can peep into what you do on the internet.

NordVPN is one of the fastest VPN services in the world with many servers. You protect up to six devices at the same time and are not subject to a bandwidth limit. Taking out a two-year NordVPN subscription will currently cost you 3.29 euros per month. On top of that you get three months free.

4. A hotspot with a password is (slightly) more secure

Incidentally, it is (slightly) safer to use the free WiFi hotspots with a password than a WiFi connection that does not have a password. At other hotels, the free WiFi often has a general password, which you can find on a piece of paper in your room or at the check-in desk. So do you have the choice? Then always grab the WiFi connection with a password.

Disable automatic connection to free WiFi hotspots

If you have been connected to free Wi-Fi hotspots before, your iPhone will connect automatically the next time. Your smartphone does this in the background, so you don’t see it yourself (except for the WiFi icon at the top). So make sure you turn this option off at the relevant hotspots. You do that in the following way.

• Open the ‘Settings’ app;
• Click on ‘Wi-Fi > Change’;
• Tap the information icon (the letter i in the bubble) next to the WiFi connection you want to adjust;
• Turn off the ‘Connect automatically’ option.