Secure public WiFi with avast! SecureLine for iOS

I’ve heard a joke that in today’s world, people need Wi-Fi more than food, water or shelter. If you look around you in a restaurant or in line at the bank, people are probably fiddling with their smartphones.

We’re take for granted the constant use of social networks, we check email and browse the web wherever we go. Unsurprisingly, many choose places to hang out based on whether they have free Wi-Fi.

While constant Internet connectivity can be useful, it does create many privacy and security issues whose existence remains a mystery for the majority of mobile users.

If you connect to untrusted networks on a regular basis, and most users do, you should consider a VPN solution. It’s a simple way to make your online experience on the move more private and secure.

Today I’m taking a look at avast! SecureLine for iOS, a new service/app that’s also available on Windows and Android.

Setup

In order to get started, download the application from the App Store and follow the on-screen instructions.

You can specify a location through which you’d like to connect, or you can let the app determine that based on your current location.

Next you install the avast! SecureLine root certificate on your iPhone.

When this is done all that’s left to do is activate the VPN option under Settings, and you’re done!

As you’re using the VPN, your connection will look like it’s originating from a different location than the one you’re connecting from. This means you can also access geo-blocked sites.

Conclusion

While there are plenty of solutions on the market, some of them require a bit of know-how in order to be used. As I see it, the key for significant adoption is making it simple for the average user.

avast! SecureLine is easy to setup and it just works. The app comes with a 7-day trial, with a yearly subscription available for $19.99 and a monthly subscription for $2.99.

With summer vacations around the corner, think about using a VPN solution to protect yourself. It’s a cheap, effective and requires little time to setup.