Wi-Fi Sense, New Windows 10 Controversial Feature

Wi-Fi Sense, a new Windows 10 controversial feature

Wi-Fi Sense, a New Windows 10 Controversial Feature

Many users are concerned about Window 10’s Wi-Fi Sense feature, since everyone thinks about wireless security these days. But many experts, after they had looked at this controversial feature carefully, agree that it’s a good improvement to wireless networking. The biggest benefit of Wi-Fi Sense is that with this feature, you can connect automatically to suggested hotspots. Of course, you should avoid connecting to insecure open networks; but, if the network is known to be reliable and safe, then Wi-Fi Sense improves your security. In this case, with its Wi-Fi Sense, Microsoft keeps a list of open networks of airports, hotel lobbies, shopping malls or official networks in public areas in cities. With Wi-Fi Sense, the Windows 10 device never sees a fake hotspot and instead, only connects automatically to the ones that are known to be safe.

Microsoft isn’t the first company in the world trying to expand wireless coverage worldwide by making it possible for users to turn personal wireless routers into wireless networks, without compromising their security or sacrificing bandwidth. For example, Comcast has a feature called the “Neighborhood Hotspot Initiative,” since 2013. In Australia, Telstra has introduced a similar feature with the theme “share a little, get a lot.”

The experience and the technology tell us that crowdsourcing Wi-Fi isn’t insecure if it’s done right. The security problems are the same as with websites that require authentication. Thus, you must add a few things to your network in order to ensure that your business and personal wireless networks are secure from outside attackers.

With your Windows 10 laptop, you don’t manually have to scroll through the list of open networks. You don’t have to guess if an open network is the official access point. You can be quite sure you will not connect to a network run by a cybercriminal, who might be trying to lure you into an unsafe connection so he can attack your system.

Wi-Fi Sense has another feature called the “Share My Network” feature. We like to say that this feature gives consumers a safe way to share wireless access, without sharing their Wi-Fi secrets. Unfortunately for now, access for Wi-Fi Sense is strictly limited to Windows 10 only.