Open Wi-Fi

Open Wi-Fi is a wireless internet connection provided in a public place that anyone nearby can join. It usually needs no password, so you can connect a device straight away, although many providers show a web page where you accept their terms before you get online. This is different from a personal hotspot, which shares one device's own mobile data connection.

For organisations, open Wi-Fi supports flexible working. Staff can work away from the organisation's premises instead of returning to the office. For example, a catering manager running a stall at a food market can use open Wi-Fi on a tablet to place an urgent stock order with a supplier. Work carries on while staff are out and about, which suits remote and mobile working patterns.

Because anyone can join an open network, the data being sent is not protected, and other users on it may be able to read that data. Staff should avoid sending sensitive information over it and use their organisation's own secure connection instead.