Public Wi-Fi, spoofed networks, and “Forget This Network”
Restaurants, hotels and airports hand out Wi-Fi, and anyone nearby can create a network with the same name. Your device cannot tell the difference — it joins the familiar name.
The bigger problem is the list your phone keeps. Every network you have ever joined stays saved, and your device goes looking for all of them, everywhere you go.
Do this today
- Open your Wi-Fi settings and use “Forget This Network” on every hotel, airport and coffee shop in the list. Keep home and work.
- Turn off automatic joining for open networks. On both your phone and your laptop.
- If you regularly work from cafes, use your phone's hotspot instead. It costs a little data and removes the entire problem.
What good looks like
Your saved network list is short enough to read in one screen, and everything on it is a place you actually trust.
You never join an open network without noticing that you are doing it.
Want someone to just do this for you? Start a conversation — twenty minutes, free.
Last reviewed: September 2026