"Wi-Fi, or connectivity is very much like water and air."

But experts warn:

"Free and public Wi-Fi 1access points can be 2fraught with danger."

Personal data can be big business for hackers and 3scammers, leading to an 4ever-growing number of threats to 5be aware of. A big one, the '6man-in-the-middle' or 'Evil twin' Wi-Fi scam.

"A Wi-Fi network that looks like the real 7legitimate one, but it's actually 8run by somebody who could be very nearby, trying 9deliberately to 10intercept your data, passwords, logins. They could even hack into your computer."

Internet security expert and SIMO President Eric Plam says these are some things to remember when connecting to that cafe, airport, hotel or other public and free Wi-Fi.

Be 11wary if it's too easy, even if free. Cafes, airport lounges, or hotels often ask for a password or room number.

Once you do connect, check to make sure you're browsing on a secure site. You can do that by looking at where you type in a web address; it should say ¡°https.¡±

There also might be a symbol of a padlock — though this isn't always guaranteed to be safe, according to the FBI.

You should also 12refrain from logging into bank accounts or 13conducting sensitive transactions.

And if you want to 14go a step further, buy a 15VPN, or virtual private network, a service provided by lots of different vendors, which creates a secure tunnel between your device and whatever site you're visiting.

But the best option according to Plam, use your own hotspot.