How Secure is a VPN on Public WiFi? Will It Protect You?

Public WiFi is the thing we’re all after, whether we’re on vacation or on a regular day. There are millions of public WiFi hotspots available in cities around the world. Using them has its do’s and don’ts, as you are probably thinking about how secure VPN on public WiFi is.

While you’re connected, your smartphone syncs a lot of sensitive info via dedicated apps, such as:

• your social media accounts,
• email accounts,
• bank accounts.

You most certainly don’t want this private data to fall in the wrong hands.

There’s no need to avoid connecting to public WiFi hotspots, unless you carry classified information. So, how secure is a VPN on public WiFi? A VPN is actually the safest bet for public WiFi. It can keep your online privacy and sensitive data out of hackers’ reach!

Businesses and public places provide free WiFi to attract customers or for public service purposes. However, the businesses that offer public WiFi are not IT or cybersecurity professionals. So, the focus is not public WiFi security. These free WiFi hotspots often do not have standard security practices. They often omit to:

• Secure the WiFi access. Online security is increased by something as simple as requiring a password to connect to the WiFi hotspot. Or, implementing a login registration before going online.
• Update the firmware on routers and other networking equipment.
• Have security compliant (or at least harder to guess) admin usernames and passwords
• Periodically check to see if the networks have been compromised

Public WiFi networks are attractive targets for hackers. They are usually easy to compromise. So many different people use them that they never run out of new targets.

Unfortunately, public WiFi networks aren’t just convenient for you. They are also convenient for cyber criminals. As mentioned above, they can snoop in on the traffic and get all your social media accounts, credit card numbers, email passwords, etc.

The real world answer to how secure a VPN is on public WiFi networks? It’s your safest bet. When you are traveling to work or on vacation, it is almost impossible to avoid using a public WiFi network. They are part of the essential infrastructure.

However, not all VPNs are the same in terms of security and performance. You have to know how to choose the right VPN for public WiFi. One of the issues of most VPNs is they slow down your web browsing. They can make the Internet almost unusable because of the way they’re built.

Some VPN services lack so-called “kill switches” and remain inactive after your Internet connection drops and resumes. This can happen while roaming between hotspots, for example, or when connecting to a bad WiFi hotspot.

Speedify is different among VPNs. It solves both security and slow speed concerns. By using channel bonding technology, Speedify can combine all available Internet connections simultaneously. 

You will be protected from compromised WiFi networks, even if they run captive portals. You won’t need to disconnect from Speedify (and be at risk!) to log onto the network. Speedify also keeps your data safe from the prying eyes of hackers, ISPs, and even the hosts of the network. With Speedify you are ready to browse the Internet securely, without having to sacrifice speed.