luv2ndhalf Posted August 2 #1 Share Posted August 2 We will be traveling for an extended period of time, and I was curious if there is a way to find/use a secure wifi connection if needed while on board. Not necessarily going the VPN route....More so if we needed to log into our bank or credit card websites-We will be on the Silhouette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwlane Posted August 2 #2 Share Posted August 2 What leads you to think it's not secure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrk2cruise Posted August 2 #3 Share Posted August 2 I personally would not connect to a bank on any public Wifi without using a VPN. Celebrity does all it can to block VPN's on their ships. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odyssyus Posted August 3 #4 Share Posted August 3 Travel router and VPN software. Worked just fine this past week on Reflection, or just use a vpn on your phone when navigating your bank. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wineaux007 Posted August 3 #5 Share Posted August 3 You can't log on to their system unless you disable your VPN. After connecting, reconnect your VPN. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted August 3 #6 Share Posted August 3 3 hours ago, luv2ndhalf said: We will be traveling for an extended period of time, and I was curious if there is a way to find/use a secure wifi connection if needed while on board. Not necessarily going the VPN route....More so if we needed to log into our bank or credit card websites-We will be on the Silhouette. The connection between your computer and the wireless access point on the ship is encrypted. Not that I would trust it for private information. It would take a reasonably skilled hacker to intercept your information, but not impossible. You best bet is a travel router and a VPN as @odyssyus said That would be the most secure way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrk2cruise Posted August 3 #7 Share Posted August 3 Apex appeared to be blocking ports used by some of the proprietary VPN protocols. I had to change to OpenVPN TCP protocol (port 443) to get it to work on Apex. Didn't have problems on Summit, Equinox, Constellation or Infinity in the last couple of years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv2ndhalf Posted August 3 Author #8 Share Posted August 3 1 hour ago, odyssyus said: Travel router and VPN software. Worked just fine this past week on Reflection, or just use a vpn on your phone when navigating your bank. I am technologically challenged 😬…… is there a vpn that you recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare horseymike Posted August 3 #9 Share Posted August 3 That makes two of us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted August 3 #10 Share Posted August 3 12 hours ago, luv2ndhalf said: We will be traveling for an extended period of time, and I was curious if there is a way to find/use a secure wifi connection if needed while on board. Not necessarily going the VPN route....More so if we needed to log into our bank or credit card websites-We will be on the Silhouette. I need 2FA to log in go a bank or credit card account when away from home. That introduces a whole other problem, especially while on a ship, receiving text message access codes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted August 3 #11 Share Posted August 3 1 hour ago, d9704011 said: I need 2FA to log in go a bank or credit card account when away from home. That introduces a whole other problem, especially while on a ship, receiving text message access codes. Have had reasonably good results using WiFi calling mode while aboard. That allows for inbound texts in addition to inbound calls. At one time this appeared to require premium WiFi according to some. I was never sure as we always had premium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Virgo Posted August 3 #12 Share Posted August 3 13 hours ago, jwlane said: What leads you to think it's not secure? on the Eclipse last week, when logged in using their network, my iphone indicated “not secure”. I m sure others will say any public wifi not safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odyssyus Posted August 3 #13 Share Posted August 3 Go with one of the big brands...NordVPN, expressVPN etc... Have it downloaded, installed and tested before you go. Great for watching Youtube tv, or my local Plex when sailing out in the ocean..or even in hotels anywhere in the world with decent internet. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted August 3 #14 Share Posted August 3 For the newbies to Nord on a phone, here's the setup for Android mentioned above ... not really intuitive: Profile / scroll down / Settings / VPN protocol / Open VPN (TCP) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted August 3 #15 Share Posted August 3 13 hours ago, luv2ndhalf said: I am technologically challenged 😬…… is there a vpn that you recommend? I use Private Internet Access for my VPN. I believe some use Nord VPN or Surfshark. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted August 3 #16 Share Posted August 3 (edited) 4 hours ago, d9704011 said: I need 2FA to log in go a bank or credit card account when away from home. That introduces a whole other problem, especially while on a ship, receiving text message access codes. I don't have any problems doing this as I receive those text messages on the phone that I am using to access my bank account. We get one account each being in the Retreat. I use my WiFi account for my iPhone and then use my DW's WiFi account on my Travel Router. This gives me full use of my iPhone throughout the ship and gives my DW and I access on both our iPads when in the room. I also find my travel router gives us better coverage on the balcony than we get with the ship's WiFi. Edited August 3 by DaKahuna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PTC DAWG Posted August 3 #17 Share Posted August 3 (edited) Possibly set up payments etc in advance from home before cruising…how did people manage back in the day? Edited August 3 by PTC DAWG 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted August 3 #18 Share Posted August 3 Technically when you log onto banks you get a HTTPS connection... Look at your URL. HTTPS is the protocol used to securely send data from a web browser to a website. When I want additional security I use a VPN. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billc23 Posted August 3 #19 Share Posted August 3 As long as you are on a website with SSL and the certificate is valid, then very little information that leaves your browser and that could potentially be sniffed by a third party on the same network or even the network owner is available to be read. It is safe even if the local network is not encrypted. It is as safe as a private network as both "call" the same host network and it's all end to end encrypted via the banks network services. So any exposure to the information would happen on home networks as much as public networks. Don't download a new certificate and be sure you see the lock symbol. 2FA will work on the ships WiFi - at least with an iPhone - but you will need 2 internet logins if you are using a device in addition to your phone. Ship WiFi - if the WiFi requires a “password” to connect, then the WiFi connection itself is also encrypted. If you can connect to the WiFi to use their app without an account that requires a password then it may not have encryption. If it pops up a login page after you’ve connected to the WiFi, then you are posing into a “captive portal” that is not related to the WiFi connection itself, only to bill for internet access. So many ideas about public WiFi are antiquated and from the days when HTTPS wasn’t a guarantee. Doesn’t help that all the VPN companies blatantly lie about the dangers of public WiFi to sell their product. VPNs have their uses, such as having it appear to Netflix that you are in your home country, but it’s not to protect your data. SSL does that just fine. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/why-public-wi-fi-lot-safer-you-think I recommend that you call your financial institution to verify the above. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Rick&Jeannie Posted August 3 #20 Share Posted August 3 Two words....Sat phone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted August 3 #21 Share Posted August 3 3 hours ago, billc23 said: So many ideas about public WiFi are antiquated and from the days when HTTPS wasn’t a guarantee There is still no guarantee. If you take the proper precautions you can have a reasonable degree of assurance. I'll not bore you with technical details but if interested you can read for yourself. https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/262793/is-https-insecure-against-mitm-attacks-and-is-there-a-solution 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Fountain Posted August 3 #22 Share Posted August 3 Omg, vpn tcp https ssl url 2fa. I'm lost, and to top it all if you are on the Apex (which I'll be on in 24 days time), it'll only work in port 443. Is that in Norway by any chance? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrk2cruise Posted August 3 #23 Share Posted August 3 Don't let me scare you about Apex. If you use NordVPN and use the instructions in post #14 you for changing the protocol you should be fine. That's what I did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billc23 Posted August 3 #24 Share Posted August 3 22 hours ago, wrk2cruise said: I personally would not connect to a bank on any public Wifi without using a VPN. Celebrity does all it can to block VPN's on their ships. The purpose of VPN is to hide from the public Wi-Fi network owner of what you are doing. HTTPS/TLS are for encryption and security. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billc23 Posted August 3 #25 Share Posted August 3 8 hours ago, 1Virgo said: on the Eclipse last week, when logged in using their network, my iphone indicated “not secure”. I m sure others will say any public wifi not safe. It is not secure... but once you establish a HTTPS/TLS connection then that connection is secure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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