Connect to public Wifi hotspots securely

The number of public hotspots is growing all the time, but there are many ‘open’ (or not encrypted) connections. This means anything you send and receive from the laptop, plus the contents of any shared folders, could be accessed by a third party with malicious intentions.

One solution is to use a virtual private network (or VPN), which adds a layer of security and protection to your computer when you are using an insecure internet connection. In this workshop we will show you how to set up and use a free VPN service to protect yourself.

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Step1
Windows XP users should click the Start button and select Control Panel. Choose ‘Network and Internet Connections’ followed by ‘Create a connection to the network at your workplace’. The New Connection wizard will appear: choose ‘Virtual Private Network connection’ and click Next. Type BestUKVPN into the Company Name box and click Next. Type bestukvpn.com into the Host name box and click Next again. Tick ‘Add a shortcut to this connection to my desktop’ and click Finish. Jump to Step 3.

Step 2
Windows 7 and Vista users should click the Start button, type network into the Search box and then click ‘Set up a connection or network’. Select ‘Connect to your workplace’ and click Next. Select ‘Use my Internet connection (VPN)’, then type bestukvpn.com into the Internet address box. Change the Destination name box to ‘BestUKVPN’, then tick ‘Don’t connect now; just set it up so I can connect later’ before clicking Next. Type free into the Username box, leave the password and ‘Domain (optional)’ boxes blank and click Create, followed by Close to finish.

Step 3
Windows XP users need to double-click the BestUKVPN shortcut on the Windows Desktop, then click Properties in the Connection box that appears. Remove the ticks from everything except ‘Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)’ and ‘QoS Packet Scheduler’, then select PPTP VPN from the ‘Type of VPN’ dropdown menu before jumping to the next step. Windows 7 and Vista users should click Start, type network into the Search box and then click ‘View network connections’. Right-click the BestUKVPN entry and select Properties. When the properties window appears, switch to the Networking tab and remove ticks from everything except ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’.