Can you work securely online when not at the office or at home?

  • Q and A
  • Edited 15 May 2025
  • 1 min
  • Managing and growing
  • Secure business

You are not at the office or at home, and you want to work on your laptop. A quick connection to the wifi hotspot on the train or in a hotel? These are not safe. A hacker may be watching a public wifi network, and even access your laptop vis that network. Read how you can work online as securely as possible when you are on the move.

Cyber Magazine SECURE IT!

Cyber magazine SECURE IT! contains tips and information on how to secure your business online.

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Work safely online

A mobile internet connection is a safer option than a public wifi network if you want to work online. Hackers will have a hard time trying to access your mobile provider's network, as the connection is often encrypted. Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) adds another layer of security. It makes you anonymous on the internet and encrypts your internet traffic. How do you use these 2 options?

Make a mobile wifi hotspot

Turn your smartphone into a mobile wifi hotspot. In your phone settings, search for Wifi hotspot, sometimes also called Mobile hotspot, Personal hotspot, or Tethering. Activate it. Set a password for your hotspot. And, if you have the option to allow only known devices, such as your laptop to connect, turn it on. You have now turned your smartphone into a private wifi network for your laptop.

VPN as extra protection

Secure the connection even further by using VPN on your smartphone. You need a subscription with a VPN provider to do so. Install the app from your VPN provider on your smartphone to turn VPN on and off. Considering using a free VPN service? Then take a good look at what other users are saying about it. You want to be sure that the service provider is not reselling your data. And that the free VPN app does not install malware on your smartphone.

The safest option

The safest option is your own smartphone as a mobile WiFi hotspot combined with VPN. Do you not have a VPN? Then your smartphone as a mobile WiFi hotspot is still more secure than working online on a public WiFi hotspot. Do you have no choice, for example because you don't have mobile internet for a while? Then only use a public hotspot via VPN software and for as short a time as possible

Finally: working online securely involves more than a safe internet connection. Also think about strong passwords and two-step verification.