In its fourth annual IT trends survey, the network support company found whilst nearly half of employees regularly work remotely, 80% say access to reliable and fast public Wi-Fi is their biggest concern.
Here are a few simple steps you can take to make working while ‘on the road’, easier, safer and cost effective.
1. Clean up your computer
At some point you’re going to have to log onto an open network. Make sure your computer makes the most of such networks by doing everything you can to speed up browsing, such as ensuring your software and particularly your internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.) is up to date and free from Malware and Adware, which sap your processor power and could compromise your privacy.
2. Invest in the best
Modern laptops will normally run the latest Wi-Fi standards which will allow you to connect at the fastest and most reliable speeds, but if you are running older hardware, you can buy an external wireless device that connects via your USB port that will allow you to take advantage of more modern standards with your existing computer.
3. Stay safe
When using a public network there is always a trade off with privacy against convenience. You are better protected if the network you are connecting to has encryption in place (normally shown by a padlock beside the network name), as this means your data is better protected.
Be mindful of what data you are transmitting, particularly via unsecured websites - all modern browsers will show the status of website security, normally in the address bar.
4. Paying for it
We also found that nearly half of workers were frustrated about the cost of paying for substandard WI-FI.
Plan ahead for your requirements, particularly when travelling abroad. Ensure you are on the correct tariff if using data from your mobile provider. Many mobile workers tether their laptops to their mobile phones for browsing and Apple’s latest operating systems allow this virtually seamlessly, but if you are a heavy user consider purchasing a separate data dongle rather than using your mobile phone’s built in data package as this can often provide savings.
5. Dropping calls
We also found that nearly 60 % were fed up with poor mobile reception and 'dropping calls'.
Many modern phone systems will allow you to use a softphone on your PC to connect to the work phone system via a secure internet connection. As well as improved functionality and cost savings, this can be really valuable in areas of poor cellular reception but where Wi-Fi is available.
Daniel Mitchell is co-founder and director of Lifeline IT.
