Some carriers allow tethering; some put certain conditions on it; Tracfone does not allow it at all as part of their standard terms and conditions.
Public Wi-Fi can be assumed to be not secure. Yeah, if all you want is to read Yelp reviews of a restaurant or get a street address, not a big thing. But I don't use public Wi-Fi without a VPN. Nobody else needs to know my IDs and passwords.Originally Posted by frugal-one
VPN is a "Virtual Private Network" -- an app you run that takes all your Internet traffic and encrypts and anonymizes it. That way no one else on that Wi-Fi network can see what you're doing. You could be reading Yelp reviews or balancing your checkbook; it's all just data to them and it all looks alike.
VPN software is available through App Stores (whoever's) or through the Internet and I'd guess they're available in boxes at your local Best Buy too. You also may have VPN software already on your computer courtesy of an anti-virus or anti-malware application. (I have Avast anti-virus and it offers a VPN I don't use.)
I use PIA -- Private Internet Access (obvious URL). It's one of the better VPNs as far as the number of operating systems it supports, the number of local servers (VPN can mess up some regionalized Web services), customer privacy, and cost. There are other VPNs that get consistently high marks, but that's the one I chose and I've been happy with them for the three years or so I've used them. You might also consider one for your phone depending on whether you use it for Internet.