What can go wrong on a hotspot
Whoever runs the network can see which sites you look up and read anything that isn't encrypted. If the network has no password, someone sitting nearby may be able to do the same.
Fake hotspots are another problem. It takes very little to set up a network named after the cafe and watch who connects.
With SoVPN connected
Every app on the device sends its traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a SoVPN server. The hotspot sees unreadable data going to one address.
Your DNS lookups go through the tunnel too and are answered by SoVPN's own DNS servers. The hotspot can't build a list of the sites you open.
Login page first, VPN second
Lots of public networks show a login or terms page before they let you online. Finish that page, then turn SoVPN on. Until the network opens up, the VPN has no route out.
SoVPN protects the connection. Your accounts need their own protection: a different password for each important account, two-step login where it's offered, and no clicking through certificate warnings you weren't expecting.
Settings to switch on
Hotspots drop out more than home Wi-Fi. With the kill switch on, apps wait for SoVPN to reconnect instead of slipping back onto the open network.
If you're on Plus or Pro, turn on malicious site blocking as well. It stops known phishing pages, which often show up as fake Wi-Fi login screens or links in text messages.
- Settings > Connection > Kill switch: on
- Settings > Protection > Malicious site blocking: on (Plus and Pro)
- Can't connect? Settings > Connection > Protocol: OpenVPN TCP