We live in a world where everything is connected. From fully functional desktop computers to watches that can tell you who's calling without pulling out your cell phone. This is the time where everything and anything can connect to the World Wide Web. This ever-growing connectivity to the Internet also brings the growth of portable devices. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, etc. are growing while desktop computers are shrinking in numbers. This rise in portable devices also brings the growth of wireless networks.

Almost every Internet Service Provider (ISP) now offers you a router with built-in wireless functionality, which comes standard with wireless encryptions. This is normally located on the side of the router to keep you safe and to keep unwanted people off of your network.

Now let's say you are at the airport waiting for your plane when you need to jump online. Commonly used in places such as Starbucks and McDonald's, most airports have public wireless networks you may use as well. You just don't know whether or not the wireless networks you're connecting to have any sort of protection for you. Anyone can connect to a public wireless network. If a public wireless network is setup correctly, you shouldn't be able to see anyone else's computer showing in the network list. These are called Isolated Access Points. This, however, is not always the case and you'll need to take matters into your own hands. Here are some tips you may want to consider and follow.

Always use "Encrypted Traffic"

Encrypted Traffic is available when a website is secured. When you go to a site such as Gmail, the address starts with "HTTPS." If it does not have the "S" at the end, you're not on a secured site. Encrypted traffic means that the content will be encrypted between you and the website you're visiting to help keep prying eyes out of the connection. While this is not always possible, a good majority of sites will have a secure connection such as banks and online retailers.