If you are renting a temporary place for remote work or planning a future Airbnb getaway, chances are it will come with free WiFi. Even if the WiFi is protected behind a password, that doesn’t make it automatically safe and private. For starters, the host could be accessing the network to track what you do online. Also, if they haven’t changed the password between guests, any prior guest could reconnect alongside you. Plus, an earlier guest could have accessed the rental’s router and installed software that allows them to snoop on it remotely. Much to consider! Short of skipping the WiFi entirely, the best course of action is to use a trusted VPN whenever you’re connecting your computer, phone or tablet to a rental’s internet. This goes for hotels and hostels, too.

If you are renting a temporary place for remote work or planning a future Airbnb getaway, chances are it will come with free WiFi. Even if the WiFi is protected behind a password, that doesn’t make it automatically safe and private. For starters, the host could be accessing the network to track what you do online. Also, if they haven’t changed the password between guests, any prior guest could reconnect alongside you. Plus, an earlier guest could have accessed the rental’s router and installed software that allows them to snoop on it remotely. Much to consider! Short of skipping the WiFi entirely, the best course of action is to use a trusted VPN whenever you’re connecting your computer, phone or tablet to a rental’s internet. This goes for hotels and hostels, too.