Tips 2 min. read

Most Interesting Wi-Fi Access Points

Most Interesting Wi-Fi Access Points

GettyImages_142019855Yesterday, our partners at Softonic gave away a free iPad and subscription for Hotspot Shield Elite to one lucky winner.  They also gave away free Hotspot Shield Elite subscriptions to 5 runner-up winners. In order for a chance to win, each entrant had to creatively answer a simple question:” Where is the most random Wi-Fi hotspot that you have connected to the Internet from?

The lucky winner of the iPad and Hotspot Shield Elite subscription went to Kellie Rose Wilson for her creative rhyme about her most random Wi-Fi hotspot location. Curious to where Kellie’s random Wi-Fi hotspot location is? Find out by clicking here.

If you think about it, it was rare to find public Wi-Fi hotspots 5 years ago. But now, public Wi-Fi hotspots are everywhere!

They are commonly found in hotels, airports coffee shops, etc.  According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, the number of public Wi-Fi hotspots is set to triple to 5.8 million worldwide by 2015!

Future public Wi-Fi hotspots are expected to be located in more parks, tourist attractions and transport hubs. So why is there such a huge spike in growth? This is because smartphones and tablets are driving public Wi-Fi growth. About 57% of people are using their smartphones or tablets to connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots, whereas only 39% of people use laptops.

In exchange for free public WiFi internet, what does it cost you? Well, it puts you at risk to privacy and security threats.

Public Wi-Fi networks are unsecure, which makes it easier for hackers to steal your private information and data. The likeliness of identity theft and online fraud is pretty high because not only are we connected to an unsecured WiFi network, but chances are our mobile devices are unprotected as well.

There are many tips to follow that will help ensure privacy and security when you connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots. However, the best tip is to use a VPN like Hotspot Shield for your mobile device to add that extra layer of protection. Hotspot Shield is available for iPhone and Android mobile devices, so make sure to use it the next time you connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot.

Do use public Wi-Fi hotspots often? If so, where do you go and what do you do to protect yourself over public Wi-Fi? Do you have a random Wi-Fi hotspot location that you’d like to share with us? We would love to hear your answers!

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