How To Stay Protected When Using Public WiFi
Public WiFi is a lot safer than it once was, but network administrators and cybercriminals can still see a lot of information about you and your data when you use an unsecured WiFi hotspot. Using a VPN encrypts your data, reroutes it, and sends it back to your original destination, making sure no one can spy on your network traffic.
Do I Really Need A VPN For Public WiFi?
It depends. If you don’t like the idea of an unknown network administrator or cybercriminal viewing and logging your data, then yes, absolutely – a VPN is the only thing that will stop this. And while it’s true that most of your data is encrypted on the web, a VPN’s extra encryption is a necessary safeguard for protecting against zero-day network attacks, which can (and do) still happen.
What Makes Public WiFi Networks So Unsafe?
Public WiFi networks are somewhat safe, to a degree. The problem is there’s no telling who is in charge of that network and what they’re doing with your data. Every connected device is susceptible to identifying and logging, and potentially even network cyberattacks. In general, public WiFi hotspots are:
- Very easy to imitate
- Not regularly monitored
- Inadequately secured
Unencrypted Public Networks Are Found In:
Coffee shops
Airports
Schools
Places of employment
Avoid Any WiFi Surveillance & Attacks
It’s true that most websites and apps are likely to be encrypted, but the WiFi network you’re joining likely isn’t, and it could very easily be a fake – even if the admin is reputable, they’re still surveilling and logging all the browsing data that passes through their network (and very likely selling it). PIA’s VPN has a strict no-logging policy, so when you’re connected to PIA, your browsing data is fully in your control.
Benefits Of Using PIA’s VPN On Public WiFi
Fully Encrypted Traffic
The extra-strength encryption that PIA uses renders your internet data completely unreadable to admins & network attackers.
Advanced Kill Switch
Choose between normal and advanced kill switches – preventing any unwanted traffic from traveling outside the VPN.
No Usage Logging
We have a strict, no-logging policy in order to make sure that your browsing data stays completely under your control.
Customizable Features
Our flexible VPN makes it easy to customize the VPN protocol, the encryption strength, the ports, and the MTU size.
Open-Source Security
PIA’s apps and clients are all 100% open source – adding even more transparency and security into the mix.
24/7 Customer Support
We have customer support agents standing by via live chat and email – and we also have a huge knowledgebase to search.
Encrypt Your Data In Seconds
Purchase the plan that’s right for you, then follow these simple steps:
Step 1
Open the PIA app
Step 2
Connect to any server
Step 3
Enjoy encryption!
VPN Encryption On Every Device
With dedicated apps for all major platforms, and the ability to connect to unlimited devices with one PIA VPN subscription, you can hide all your devices’ IP addresses.
Choose The Plan That's Right For You
All Plans Are Covered By Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Frequently Asked Questions
Public networks do have some risks. While they’re safe for many things, connecting to an unencrypted network has some risks – they can be fake hotspots run by data criminals, and even if the admin is reputable, your data is likely being stored and sold to advertisers.
Free VPNs might sound like a good idea on the surface, but we strongly recommend you don’t use them. While some might encrypt your data and stop cybercriminals on public WiFi from stealing your data, many have been associated with malware and phishing. It’s also important to know that most free VPNs cover their running costs by very definitely collecting and selling your browsing data. It’s always better to go with a low-cost, premium VPN like Private Internet Access.
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for your internet traffic to pass through, making it unreadable to everyone except you and the VPN server. Cybercriminals and network admins will still be able to intercept your encrypted data, but it will be completely scrambled, totally unreadable, and therefore completely useless.
The biggest reason is we won’t log your data! We have a strict no-logging policy that’s been proven to be true by the multiple requests for data we get from law enforcement where we have no data to hand over. And our open-source VPN protocols like WireGuard® and OpenVPN run on some of the strongest encryption algorithms known. And our apps and clients are 100% open source, meaning our VPN’s source code is available to the public for added scrutiny.
PIA comes with a 30-day risk-free VPN trial period, so you can try it out and see if it’s right for you. If not, just return it. No strings attached!
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Disclaimer: Using PIA VPN for illegal purposes is a violation of our Terms of Service.