Wi-Fi User's Guide

How to Be Secure at Wi-Fi Hotspots

While Wi-Fi hotspots are hands-down the most popular and efficient way of getting online on the road, they do have perils. The key problem is that public hotspots (whether free or paid) must by their nature be "open," or unencrypted, so that new users can connect without having to know a password. Sending unencrypted data flying through the air leaves it vulnerable to interception, just as unencrypted cellular and cordless phone conversations used to be. Wi-Fi eavesdroppers can -- and do -- use readily available utilities to "sniff" data passing over a wireless network. Banking passwords, email logins, sensitive company data and much more can all pass free and clear for hackers to capture when you are connected at a hotspot. Check out this chilling example of a hijacked email.

So what can you do about this very real threat? Lots! First, you can check the safety of your connection at any time using our free Wi-Fi Security Test, which runs in Internet Explorer on Windows. This test works for home and office Wi-Fi networks as well as public ones. And if you have a home Wi-Fi router, follow the step-by-step process for locking down your network given in our Complete Guide to Wi-Fi Security. This should give you a reasonably bullet-proof home Wi-Fi cloud. For hotspots on the road, you'll need to take a different approach, one that involves superimposing security measures on otherwise open networks. That's where JiWire Hotspot Helper comes in.

Hotspot Helper Basics

JiWire Hotspot Helper protects and enhances your public Wi-Fi connection in four basic ways:

* Wi-Fi Security, accessible through JiWire Hotspot Helper, creates a secure, encrypted "tunnel" to the Internet through which all your inbound and outbound traffic will flow: email, Web pages, instant messages, VoIP phone calls, FTP downloads, etc. This is just like the protection offered by industrial-strength corporate VPN services -- without the cost or complexity. Just install the software and turn it on.

* Wi-Fi Security also includes a personal firewall to block Wi-Fi hackers from using your wireless connection to gain access to your computer and stealing confidential files or infecting your computer with viruses. Unlike other Firewall programs, it doesn't get in the way of your internet access and it requires no configuration.

* Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder lets you locate the nearest hotspots -- both free and paid -- even when you're offline. You can download the hotspot directory for particular cities, states, countries, or the whole world. (Learn more about Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder on the previous page in this article.)

* Wi-Fi Mailer works with Wi-Fi Security to seamlessly deliver email from your favorite email program through JiWire's SMTP servers with no reconfiguration hassles, up to 200 emails per day. If you're tired of resorting to webmail to send or reply to emails while at hotspots, you'll love the convenience of Wi-Fi Mailer.

Best of all, you can test-drive Wi-Fi Mailer and Wi-Fi Security for 10 days at no charge. Unlocking the software for unlimited use costs just $24.95 per year. (The offline Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder included with Hotspot Helper is free, whether you upgrade to the full version or not.) To get started with JiWire Hotspot Helper for Windows, download it and run the installer, shown below.

 

In addition to Hotspot Helper, you can choose to install the JiWire Toolbars for Explorer and/or Firefox. More on those below.

Once installed in your System Tray, JiWire Hotspot Helper will immediately start to protect your connection! You'll see a message like the one below confirming that Wi-Fi Security is up and running. You can also enable or disable automatic starting of Wi-Fi Security when you connect to Wi-Fi (auto start is enabled by default). See the little yellow lock that appears on the JiWire icon in the system tray? This lock blinks on and off to indicate your connection is secure whenever you're transmitting or receiving data over Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Security is running.

 

That's all you need to do to start surfing or emailing with complete wireless security. From then on, left-clicking the JiWire icon in the System Tray lets you access all the features of Hotspot Helper. This window also shows the status of your Wi-Fi connection -- click on the "i" icon for more detailed connection information -- and how much time remains in your annual subscription or free trial.

 

The Hotspot Helper menu (accessed by a right-click) also has a few additional options. From this menu you can open and exit the program, turn security on and off with a single click, register your copy of the software, go to the JiWire home page, or contact JiWire technical support.

 

JiWire Toolbars for Internet Explorer and Firefox

 

The JiWire Toolbars for Internet Explorer and Firefox bring powerful Wi-Fi monitoring capabilities to your desktop. Both of these toolbars let you keep tabs on critical connection details, such as signal strength, SSID, MAC address, data transferred, and your level of security protection. They also provide a handy jumping off point for searching Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder for the nearest Wi-Fi location, and accessing JiWire user guides and free member message boards. You can install them separately or in concert with JiWire Hotspot Helper. Together, Helper and the Toolbars make a powerful team.

The key to the JiWire Toolbar is the Connection Status menu, where you'll find useful information like the data rate and signal strength of your connection (move closer to the access point to improve these), the type of encryption used (if any), and whether Wi-Fi Security is active and protecting your data.

 

Use the Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder menu in the Toolbar to search for a hotspot immediately, without having to open another window.

 

And check out the many useful resources on JiWire.com from the JiWire menu, including how-to articles like this one, reviews of the best wireless gear, community discussion boards, and our download area.