Norton Wi-Fi Privacy Review: How to stay safe on public Wi-Fi

Abhik Sen tests the Norton Wi-Fi Privacy on PC as well as iOS and Android phones. 

Representational photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

We love free stuff, whether it's a free bar of soap or free internet.

Thus I've found people, friends and relatives included, happily logging in to the free Wi-Fi at the coffee shop to download a few videos or songs for consumption offline or to even update device firmware.

But while logging in, do we know the dangers of doing so and how to protect ourselves?

Enter Norton Wi-Fi Privacy (₹3,999 for a one-year subscription for five devices).

This one-stop solution is an easy to use VPN client.

I installed it on my PC running Windows 10 and was able to 'fool' Google and BBC into thinking I was in some other country; not so with Netflix, which booted me off the site till I shut down the VPN client.

Installing it on my iPhone and Android phone, I browsed websites in coffee shops without a care; in fact, I updated my Android phone at the airport!

However, for an advanced user like me, the lack of options on the app was frustrating. And if you've used VPN apps in the past, you would know they do slow down browsing a bit.

Norton Wi-Fi Privacy is meant for those who frequently use public Wi-Fi and also care about their privacy elsewhere, but don't want to tinker around too much.