WiFi Sense is something you first saw in Windows 8 Phones. Many users probably don’t know what it is or how to use it since Windows phones are not the most popular phones out there. With Windows 10 WiFi Sense you can connect to someone’s shared WiFi connections when no other network is available. The friends you share your WiFi with can either be your Facebook, Skype, and Outlook contacts. These three contacts are checked by default, and these friends can connect to your WiFi without the need to type in your password. This is usually the main reason why many users want to turn off WiFi Sense since you have no reason of knowing what their downloading.
How to Turn Off WiFi Sense on Windows 10
Disabling WiFi Sense is very easy despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere. First, you’ll need to go Settings on your Windows computer and then scroll down to Manage WiFi Settings. If you see an option that says Connect to networks shared by my contacts, you’ll need to uncheck this. This option should be next to another one that says Connect to suggested open hotspots.
Once this option has been disabled, you won’t be able to connect to someone else’s computer. This is actually a good thing since others won’t be able to access your computer either.
Don’t forget that you’ll also need to uncheck the friend’s options I mentioned earlier. Uncheck the Outlook, Facebook, and Skype contacts. This option will be right below the Connect to networks share by my contacts option.
An Extra Layer of Protection
If you want to secure your WiFi, even more, there is one more thing you can do. Just by doing the above steps doesn’t protect you if the friend you allowed to access your network has shared your information with someone else. To give yourself this extra layer of security you’re going to have to go into your router’s settings.
What you’ll need to do now is give your network a new name by adding _optout at the end of it. For example, let’s say that you decided to name your network TechUnToldIsTheBest, after adding the new ending your network name is going to look like TechUnToldIsTheBest_optout. See what I did there?
Why is that ending helpful? If you just use the first part of the name, that is something that Microsoft’s sharing feature would use and save. If you add the ending I mentioned, then your network won’t be saved.
This saves you from also having to enter your password manually if you want to stay out of Microsoft’s Sense database and when your friend comes over to your house. You’ll also have to make sure that the Share network with my contacts box is not checked. You can avoid all of this with that simple ending.
Conclusion
Microsoft’s WiFi Sense has it convenient side but it also has a dangerous one. This can be a huge disaster especially if you don’t have an unlimited Internet plan. You’ll either get a huge bill at the end of the month or be left without it by day 5 of the month. Will you turn it off?
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