Community Forums

FlaRider · 11-07-2016, 10:14 AM

You might want to try Mint Bills. It is a website or an app you you smartphone or tablet on IOS or Android. Mint is owned by Intuit, the same company that owns TurboTax. You sent up your bills (credit cards and other companies) and your bank account. You can see the activity of your accounts. They will send you a notification of when your bill is due and you can schedule it through the app. I have been using it for about 4 months and it works really well.

Here is the good and bad of it to get the most out of it. You have to sent up your bank account (checking or savings) so they can pay the bill. I didn't sign up for the service (which is free) for a long time because of that, but since I do not get paper statements anymore I was alway nervous that I would miss a bill. So I started to used Mint Bills vs my bank to pay the bills and it has worked great. I get an email and/or notification that a bill is due, I go onto their website or their app ( I use an iPhone and have it sent up to need TouchID or login to the app) see my bill and tell them when to pay and how much. I have not seen any delay from when the money is pulled from my checking account to when the credit card company tells me that the payment has posted.

Since it is a free service the need to make money some how. They do show you credit card offers and maybe loans, but they are not in your face ads. I think since the see your purchases they probably see that info, but I am not positive.

Just my 2 cents

Marc

Algoma · 11-07-2016, 10:32 AM

I know some people have a phobia about this but I try to use direct debit for all my regular bills. I even get my credit card paid off in full each month so I never have to worry about missing a payment. I have friends who still insist on receiving a paper bill and then mailing a check, but I don't need that hassle.

DrDaveMA · 11-07-2016, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildtoad

what type of bills can't you pay with an iPad? It is as secure if not more than a windows based pc. May be time to upgrade to an iPhone since you have other apple devices. Then at least you can share the cell data connection between all your devices through the iPhone if security is the issue. Assumes your phone provider allows.

Many banks will not let you do ALL functions from their iPad app, for example I need to go to my PC or Mac to add a payee at Ally.

wildtoad · 11-07-2016, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrDaveMA

Many banks will not let you do ALL functions from their iPad app, for example I need to go to my PC or Mac to add a payee at Ally.

Concur, but if their app won't do it, perhaps going to their secure site using the Safari browser will. I deal with Wells Fargo, and for the longest time their app was less than complete, but I could do everything from their website. There are still things I have to go to the main site, but the app is getting better.

To be fair, I have been to some website that don't work so well on Safari.

Boomer · 11-07-2016, 01:29 PM

For what it is worth, most banking, stores (amazon) and credit card companies use https which is secure browsing, which while not impossible to crack, takes government style servers. The only risk being on a public network is the access someone could have to the files on your computer, especially if you have open shares.

DrDaveMA · 11-07-2016, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomer

For what it is worth, most banking, stores (amazon) and credit card companies use https which is secure browsing, which while not impossible to crack, takes government style servers. The only risk being on a public network is the access someone could have to the files on your computer, especially if you have open shares.

Actually most data breaches occur with the store's database being compromised by a hacker.

CampDaven · 11-07-2016, 02:44 PM

My devices are secure, as are the sites where I do financial stuff.
Never been hacked. But, then, I never click where I shouldn't!
Beyond that, I don't worry about stuff I can't do nuthin about.
Chill!

Maddawg46 · 11-07-2016, 09:55 PM

So isn't that Pepwave Surf on the Go router secure. Isn't that the same as a VPN? I don't know a lot about this stuff.

Algoma · 11-08-2016, 06:43 AM

You may want to get your hands on this book, The Mobile Internet.

redcolorado · 11-08-2016, 09:04 AM

I use the Alfa WiFi Camp Pro -- long range Wi-Fi repeater kit -- R36/Tube-(U)N/AOA-2409-TF antenna. The R36 router provides the same level of encryption that a home router does. At a campground I log the R36 into the campground WiFi and all our devices automatically log into the R36. Just like having a home network.

SMertens · 11-08-2016, 10:10 AM

Any router or repeater like the wifi ranger that uses park unencrypted wifi will not be secure. The best way to secure it is with a secure tunnel subscription like TunnleBear or others. A 4g device is better than park wifi, much more secure.

The WiFi Ranger does have an option to secure traffic. I'm not really sure how this works. Might be with some kind of encryption. But NEVER assume because a connection is encrypted, it is safe. Many levels of encryption have been broken shortly after they came out. Anybody for instance can go to a regular hackers site and find out how to defeat WEP and other encryption forms.

I use tunnelbear.com anytime I have to send a password to a site. If you are only using this for a bank account you can use the free version. I think it limits you to 500 meg per month, but thats plenty of data if you are simply downloading your Quicken file daily, or paying bills online.

SMertens · 11-08-2016, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maddawg46

So isn't that Pepwave Surf on the Go router secure. Isn't that the same as a VPN? I don't know a lot about this stuff.

Yes, an NO. I'm not familiar with this device but with ANY router it all depends on the encryption type and level. All too often I see people use a old and defeated encryption type. But any encryption is better than open communication. It is rare you may run into a hacker that can get your data, but if you stick your head in the sand you may be sorry. I was just reading a few weeks ago about how a hacker got access to a 401K because someone logged into their account from a Starbucks. That mistake cost him $30,000.00. Yet another customer lost $1700 at Starbucks. These stories are many, and Starbucks is open wifi just like most RV parks.

You can do a few things to prevent this. Use the latest and greatest encryption, or use a service like tunnelbear (www.tunnelbear.com) Use 2-factor authentication whenever your financial institution supports it. Use a password manager & create 20 character long passwords so they can't be guessed. Never use the same password twice, especially on financial sites.

DrDaveMA · 11-08-2016, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMertens

Yes, an NO. I'm not familiar with this device but with ANY router it all depends on the encryption type and level. All too often I see people use a old and defeated encryption type. But any encryption is better than open communication. It is rare you may run into a hacker that can get your data, but if you stick your head in the sand you may be sorry. I was just reading a few weeks ago about how a hacker got access to a 401K because someone logged into their account from a Starbucks. That mistake cost him $30,000.00. Yet another customer lost $1700 at Starbucks. These stories are many, and Starbucks is open wifi just like most RV parks.

You can do a few things to prevent this. Use the latest and greatest encryption, or use a service like tunnelbear (www.tunnelbear.com) Use 2-factor authentication whenever your financial institution supports it. Use a password manager & create 20 character long passwords so they can't be guessed. Never use the same password twice, especially on financial sites.

People need to understand that while they may use their own router that lets you encrypt data from your device (phone, tablet PC/Mac or laptop) to that router, BUT the data from your router to the campground's is NOT encrypted, so your data is still vulnerable.

As mentioned above, if the site you are logging in to offers 2 factor authentication (typically a password with a registered device) use it.

Boomer · 11-09-2016, 12:22 PM

Being in the internet business I am a little confused over this thread for various reasons.

1. Being that I am a newbie to RVing, most RV parks I have been to have single factor WEP or WPA encryption on their WIFI, which of course only means that only other users with the password can be on the network, which puts a limit on the number of people who can be hacking (unlike Starbucks or even a library).

2. I assume your financial institution uses secure http (https

when you are logging in. If this is the case pretty sophisticated software needs to be used to un-encrypt the packet that gets sent to the financial institution. If that institution doesn't use https (secure http) then just don't use them.

3. If someone really wants your data and willing to invest money and time, there is NO way to prevent it, literally NO way unless you unplug and then they can just grab you laptop.

4. When using a public WIFI (with or without security) anyone on that network can see your machine and if you have weak security on your machine, you become a hacking heaven.

5. Most hacking occurs when people use poor passwords to access their data and machines, common ones are 'password', 'admin', '12345678', birthdays .

6. Going through routers like the ones mentioned in this thread, defend against 'easy hacking', but can't prevent you pressing buttons on Web sites that put 'key logers' on your machine, so you still need to be vigilant.

7. Setting up a VPN to a server requires having server to connect to, if all you do is encrypt data between your computer/tablet and a router, when the data leaves the router it is as plain and accessible as if you are connected right to the RV park Wifi. To create a VPN tunnel you need to setup an ENDPOINT server somewhere to connect too, but even if you do this your are only protected for data transmission between your machine and the ENDPOINT, anything that goes to the internet (like logging into Amazon, which actually uses encryption , hense the https: on the login site) is sent just like using the RV park WIFI.

IMO words of wisdom are, use good passwords on you machines, only do things you don't want others to see over a secure connection (VPN, SSL, HTTPS...) other than that assume all the data you send over the internet is completely public.