Connect to a guest Wi-Fi network safely
Hotel/airport/cafe Wi-Fi is open. Two precautions and you’re fine.
- Connect to the network in the normal way (Wi-Fi icon, pick the network, accept terms).
- When Windows asks “Do you want your PC to be discoverable on this network?” — click No. This makes Windows treat it as Public.
- Don’t do anything sensitive (banking, payroll, admin portals) without a VPN. M365 with MFA + Conditional Access is fine.
- Watch for the URL bar — it should say https with a lock icon. If it doesn’t, leave.
- When you’re done, Forget the network (see article above) so your device doesn’t auto-rejoin next time you walk past.
Still stuck after those?
You’ve done the right thing by trying. Send whedo.it a quick note — what you tried, what you saw — and a senior pair of eyes will be on it the same business day.