VPN

[fireman0174]

Going on vacation to a hotel resort on the U.S. east coast.

Considering the use of a VPN when using the hotel very public wi-fi.

I know very little about VPNs, but I gather it provides extra security especially on a hotel wi-fi system.

Any information would be of value, including what to look for.

Thanks!

 

[MacInWin]

There are many. There are many cautions that the free ones sell your information to pay for the VPN (nothing is free). I use NordVPN, it works well. I've heard good things about Express VPN as well. In your use case, there isn't much to worry about, but if you really are worried about security, look for one that doesn't keep your information on their servers and that encrypt end-to-end. Play with whatever you decide before you go on vacation so there aren't any surprises. You may find that VPN, by moving your "location" to someplace other than where you are, really, might cause issues with some services, particularly streaming.

 

[IWT]

These may help:

The best VPN service in 2024

I've spent over 3,000 hours testing the best VPNs on the market.

www.techradar.com

The best VPN service in 2024

I've tested hundreds of providers – here are the very best VPNs

www.tomsguide.com

and maybe this one?

The Best VPN Services for 2024

Using a VPN, or virtual private network, is one of the best ways to protect your online privacy. We've tested and reviewed dozens of them, and these are our top picks.

uk.pcmag.com

Ian

 

[Raz0rEdge]

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. You first connect to a WiFi, like the public WiFi's available anywhere and then you join this VPN through a variety of available software. Now all of your further communication is private and protected from anyone snooping in on the public WiFi.

Obviously avoid doing anything important on public WiFi's even on VPN. Keep that for your home network or cell network.

VPNs also allow you to bypass region locks (not many in the US) by pretending to be in a totally different location.

Apart from that, Jake and Ian have given you enough to go with and find the solution that works for you.

 

[MacInWin]

Obviously avoid doing anything important on public WiFi's even on VPN. Keep that for your home network or cell network.

Ashwin, if the VPN is end-to-end encrypted, you can do whatever you would do from your home network, maybe even safer than that. That's why I use VPN, for when I travel and need to take care of critical financial activities that can't wait until I get home.

 

[Rod]

I use my VPN in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) set to the same location. So there are no conflicts with Location Services but I still get the No Logging, End to End Encryption and if I go somewhere else, eg interstate or overseas I still appear to be in the same place. This also gives me access to all the same streaming services. I have tried Nord, SurfShark and Express VPN, for features, function, ease of use and Support I've found Express to be the best.