You might be old hat at travelling around for your job but you might not be aware of all the technology available to make your ability to work whilst travelling that bit easier.
Below are some examples of how you can remain connected whilst travelling.
Travelling via car?
You can make your car a mobile hotspot although this is generally aimed at those who are car-sharing to business meetings since obviously for safety reasons the driver can’t “work.”
There are a couple of ways you can have internet in the car:
- A special dongle which plugs into your 12V connector
- “Tethering” – most mobile phones have this capability to “share” your internet but this is only advised for users who are doing “light” browsing rather than downloading files etc.
- Purchase a car that has integrated internet and Wi-Fi
The main advantages of car Wi-Fi are that you can get a really fast connection and there is quite a wide range of data plans available.
The main disadvantages are that they tend to be more expensive than traditional dongles as they are only available through a select few networks.
Travelling via train?
Obviously, like above, you have the option for “tethering” your phone but this wouldn’t be as reliable.
A dongle is your best option.
You just need to insert the SIM card supplied into your dongle, plug it into your laptop and set it up. Since broadband dongles have been around for quite some years you can get some quite competitive packages.
Staying overnight?
It’s quite rare for hotels not to have Wi-Fi available that you can utilise. Just remember that it could still be unreliable in terms of strength and speed because of where their routers are places as well as the number of users. Some hotels offer a Wi-Fi network specifically for travelling business people but at a cost.
There is another point of note if you are using hotel Wi-Fi – don’t use it to work unless you have VPN as you could be putting your business at risk to hackers. More to follow below, under Wi-Fi risks.
Wi-Fi Travelling Risks
Before you risk it for a chocolate biscuit with free public Wi-Fi…there are some risks involved so take note of the following to ensure you are as secure as possible:
- Don’t be fooled by those Wi-Fi hotspots that offer you free Wi-Fi where you need a password; this does not mean it’s a secure connection!
- Avoid logging in to any online accounts such as retail websites, banks, email accounts and social media profiles.
- Don’t access public networks like those in cafes, restaurants, hotels and airports without a VPN. A VPN encrypts your connection which reduces the harm that a hacker could do.
- Select the most secure settings on your PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets. Turn off any features that will automatically connect your device to any available Wi-Fi network. Also, turn off your Bluetooth unless you need it.
- Change all of your passwords before you travel and then change them back on your return.
- Carry out all software updates because chances are those updates have new, stronger security settings because they have identified an area that a hacker could exploit.
- Check the URL of the site you are visiting because if it starts with “HTTPS” because the “S” stands for secure, and data is encrypted.