Can you use VPN with shawgo wifi?

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I moved into a new apartment building with shawgo wifi and have been using it for day to day use and am wondering if using a VPN is permissible, just for peace of mind when shopping or banking online 

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Note that online banking already is secure -- anything yo...

mdk
Legendary Grand Master

Note that online banking already is secure -- anything you send (ID, password, etc.) is encrypted by your computer, before transmitting over the Internet to your bank. Similarly, everything you receive was encrypted before it was sent to you, and is decrypted by your computer.

Hopefully, any online shopping portal also uses "secure-HTTP" protocol for full encryption/decryption.

Using VPN means that everything you send is encrypted before being sent to the VPN-server, and the VPN-server forwards your information to the bank's server. So, there is the additional risk that the VPN-server could get compromised -- it probably is a "high-value-target" for Internet thieves.  Also, because the VPN-server is simultaneously supporting many of their customers, it could be much slower than a "direct" connection to your bank's server.

Some colleges & universities & businesses run their own VPN-server, as an extra level of security & authentication, when your computer is not physically present "inside" their physical location. Compare to an airport's security -- you need to show a boarding-pass to enter their "departure" lounge, or to show "employee" ID.

Finally, the "ShawGo" network was created by Shaw in March 2020, at the start of COVID-19, to provide free Internet to all. Only Shaw knows if/when Shaw will terminate that network, forcing you to sign-up with Shaw or Telus to pay for your own Internet access.

 

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Shaw Go Wi-Fi has been around longer than that. I have be...

jmwilkerson
Grasshopper

Shaw Go Wi-Fi has been around longer than that. I have been with Shaw for many years, as a customer, and can't  remember not having it on my phone. I only use less than 1 G of data on my cell carrier because it works so well when I go into town. I did notice they are allowing non customers to sign in now. 

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-- Shaw was offering two SSIDs: ShawGo and ShawOpen. Shaw...

mdk
Legendary Grand Master

@jmwilkerson -- Shaw was offering two SSIDs: ShawGo and ShawOpen.

ShawGo was created in 2020, to give free WiFi access to non-customers of Shaw Internet.

That SSID has been deleted by Shaw, but ShawOpen still exists.

 

 

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