Using free WIFI on the road, anyone use a VPN?

[tripper]

Best VPN services of 2017: Reviews and buying advice

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3198369/privacy/best-vpn-services-apps-reviews-buying-advice.html

They didn't test PIA at all there. Read the review from CNET. PIA has consistently gotten high marks for many years, I have personally used it in several different countries and it works great on both cell phone and desktop/laptop.

VPN reviews on CNET
$40 a year hard to beat.

 

[frater secessus]

Agreed: PIA is a solid VPN with an excellent reputation. You can even buy the service anonymously w/Bitcoin.

 

[dextours]

Google the TOR project. Free opensource software used by people hiding internet activity from governments. Not sure I'd trust me life or liberty with it, but people do.

 

[John61CT]

Tor is a completely different technology than VPN, slows your browsing down **a lot** and was developed by the US Navy.

It does have its uses, but is no substitute for a good VPN.

As frater pointed out, as long as all your sites now use https connections, and aren't a high-value target of an org with resources for some reason, you are probably fine surfing bareback.

 

[Knit]

I normally use a VPN anytime I am using public wifi. And sometimes I use it when surfing and shopping with a secure browser like Firefox Focus when I want to stop all the advertising from following me around. I've used NordVPN, PrivateInternetAccess and currently use HMAPro which works on most devices for one monthly fee without slowing things down too much and they have severs all over the place. Every public wifi user should have a VPN in this insecure world. Especially if you are using public wifi that doesn't require passwords. Having an extra layer of encryption make things a bit more secure. Another security tip - make sure your home or rv wifi router has the latest firmware. And if your router is more than a few years old, buy a new one for better speed and more security.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[lorance el]

Gallica wrote "Anyone using a vpn (virtual private network). If so, which one and how much are you paying for the service?"

Really you should be using a VPN. So many reasons why you should: prying eyes, google tracking, anonymous dl/ul, questionable visits to questionable websites, financial info, etc

I use PIA (using it right now) very happy with them and their customer service. Also, no extra charge for the two ipads, home computer, two iphones, one laptop. $40 for a year. 

You also ought to check into using a secure email like Protonmail.com

You could even go so far as to check out signal for messaging 

everybody wants your info.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Is there anything wrong with using a free VPN for banking while using free WiFi? I know they use advertisements to make money, but do they provide.security as far as anyone seeing private data?
 I use Betternet to keep my boss from seeing what I look at when online and have not had any issues, but banking is a lot more important.