Glasswire vs. MyLanViewer

If you need a utility to help detect which devices are on a wifi network avoid the free download Glasswire, and instead try MyLanViewer.

I tested them both out tonight. Glasswire was unable to detect iPhones and an iPad on my home wifi network and did not show the name of these devices and a laptop on the network - plus it simply has a very generic look.

MyLanViewer found and named the smartphones and tablet, as well as Google Home - but not Alexa for some reason.

Confirming that your VPN is active

If you’ve installed a VPN app on your phone and you want to confirm that it’s activated, google “What’s my IP address?” before turning on the app and then afterwards. If the IP address doesn’t change then the VPN is not working.

Use a VPN while on public wifi

It’s fairly well known that a virtual private network should be used while you’re on public wifi. While wifi may be password protected, your internet traffic is not actually encrypted. Common security algorithms like WEP and WPA2 can be easily hacked leaving you vulnerable to man in the middle attacks by a malicious third party on the wifi network that intercepts data. A VPN app will create a secure link that automatically routs traffic through the VPN provider’s server and encrypts passwords, cookies and other data. Servers won’t be able to record your browsing history. Internet Key Exchange version 2, IKEv2 is one of the faster VPN protocols and works on Windows, iOS and Android, but OpenVPN is more secure and performs better. Avoid PPTP, Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, which is less secure. A good VPN should also allow you to hide your location and true IP address.