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Interactive · runs in your browser

See what your Wi-Fi network sees about you

Whoever runs a Wi-Fi network sees more than most people think, even on HTTPS sites. This page shows it with your own visit, worked out in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.

  • Built from your own visit
  • Runs only in your browser
  • Nothing sent or stored
A network in the middle saw this visitunless you're using a VPN right now
  • Site name—
  • Visit started—
  • Device, as it looks—
  • Page size—

It can't read this page, or anything you type on it: HTTPS encrypts that.

The operator's view

Watch your traffic the way the network does

Every line on the right is something the equipment of the network you're on can record. Switch to PryVPN to see what's left.

Network operator news.example You Wi-Fi hotspot PryVPN server news.examplebank.examplehealth.example Websites

Simulated in your browser. What you type is never sent.

Hotspot logwhat the network can record without a VPN
  1. DNSnews.example: name lookup, readable by the network
  2. SNInews.example: site name at the start of the secure connection
  3. IPconnection to the server of news.example
  4. DATA1.2 MB received in 3 s
  5. HTTPSpages, searches and passwords: encrypted

From your own visit

Real data from loading this page

Your browser measured these while this page loaded. HTTPS doesn't hide timing or size, so the network can work out the same things.

—

Name lookup (DNS)

Unencrypted on most devices, so the network reads the site name.

—

Secure connection set-up

The handshake shows the site name (SNI) before encryption starts.

—

Data downloaded

Size and timing hint at what you're doing: a video looks nothing like a message.

—

Protocol

Visible to the network, like the server address.

—

Connection type

What your browser says about the network, if it says anything.

—

Device type

The network can't read this label, but it can usually guess the same from your traffic.

What a Wi-Fi operator can see

The same for a café, a hotel, an office network, or whoever else controls the router.

Without a VPNWith PryVPN
Names of the sites you visit (DNS)Yes, in plain text on most devicesNo, they travel inside the tunnel
Site names when a connection starts (SNI)Yes, on most sitesNo
Addresses of the servers you reachYesOnly the PryVPN server's
When you're online, and how much dataYesYes, the total but not per site
Your device typeOften, from network hintsOften
Pages, searches and passwords on HTTPS sitesNo, HTTPS encrypts themNo
Everything on a plain HTTP siteYes, all of itNo, it's inside the tunnel
The short answer

So, is public Wi-Fi safe?

Safer than it used to be. Nearly every site uses HTTPS now, so the network can't read your passwords or messages. What it can still see is which sites you visit, when and for how long, and that's enough to build a detailed picture of you.

The bigger risks are networks that aren't what they claim to be: a fake hotspot with the café's name, a login page that asks for too much, or a network that redirects your lookups. A VPN puts all of your traffic behind encryption the network can't open.

  • Check the network name with the staff. Fake hotspots copy real names.
  • Never install anything a login page asks for. A Wi-Fi login needs no app, profile or certificate.
  • Turn off auto-join for open networks. Your phone then won't hop onto a look-alike by itself.
  • Use a VPN on networks you don't control. PryVPN can switch itself on for untrusted Wi-Fi.

What this test can't know

  • Whether you're using a VPN right now: from inside the page, both look the same.
  • Which DNS server your phone uses, or whether it encrypts lookups.
  • What other apps on your phone are doing.
  • Whether this particular network is a fake one.

We don't keep the result. Your address and your answers stay in this browser tab, and no other company is involved.

Questions

Public Wi-Fi questions

Nothing is storedWe don't keep the result. Your address and your answers stay in this browser tab, and no other company is involved.
Is public Wi-Fi safe?

For most browsing it's safer than it used to be, because HTTPS encrypts pages and passwords. The network can still see which sites you visit and when, and fake hotspots are a real risk. A VPN hides your sites from the network and encrypts everything else.

Can the Wi-Fi owner see my browsing history?

They can see the names of the sites you visit and when, but not the pages or what you type on HTTPS sites. Incognito mode doesn't change that: it only affects what's saved on your phone. See incognito vs VPN.

Does HTTPS hide the sites I visit?

It hides what you do on a site, not which site it is. The name usually travels in the open twice: in the DNS lookup and at the start of the secure connection (SNI). Encrypted DNS and Encrypted Client Hello help, but most phones and sites don't use both yet.

What can't a VPN hide from the Wi-Fi?

That your phone is connected, when, and how much data it sends in total. The network sees one encrypted connection to a VPN server instead of your sites.

Is mobile data safer than public Wi-Fi?

Usually, against strangers nearby: mobile data is encrypted over the air and fake networks are much harder to set up. Your mobile operator still sees what a Wi-Fi operator would. See what your provider can see.

Is anything sent when I use this page?

No. Everything here is worked out in your browser from your own visit, and the site you type in the box is never sent anywhere.

Learn more

Blog

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Take the Wi-Fi out of the picture

PryVPN encrypts everything between your phone and our server, on every network. Free, no activity logs, WireGuard. Join the beta.

Coming soon toGoogle PlayWe email you a link to confirm your address and the steps to install the beta from Google Play. No spam.