Can I Secure a Hotel Network by Setting Up My Own Access Point

Question

I've been wondering something, and I'm hoping that I can find some informative answers here.

My question is twofold.

(1) Suppose that I am in a hotel or a restaurant with the infamously unsecured open WiFi setup, susceptible to eavesdropping if I browse to websites which don't utilize encrypted connections. Can I make my browsing experience more secure by using another device, such as a capable PC or dedicated access point, to set up a bridge and act as an access point, with its own additional network and password, for other devices of mine to browse the Internet using the original network's Internet connection? For instance, if I would like to more securely browse the Internet through an open WiFi connection at a hotel, could I accomplish my goal by using PC-A to connect to the open network, share the Internet connection through a password-protected ad-hoc network to PC-B, and then use that password-protected ad-hoc network to browse the Internet (through PC-A and the original open WiFi network) from PC-B?

(2) Please answer the same question(s) from above, but please assume that I am using PC-A to connect to the Internet via Ethernet in a hotel room (instead of via WiFi).

All input is appreciated.

Thanks.

Answer 1

No. Adding an additional layers do not make the insecure hops go away.

If you want to secure your connection over something like an insecure wifi or dodgey hotel network you need something like a VPN connection to a server you trust to funnel your traffic through.

Answer 2

This won't work. With the setup you describe, data will still pass unencrypted through the first access point; the encryption only covers the connection between the second access point and client.

You'll need a VPN or other encrypted tunnel to secure data moving through the access point.

Answer 3

As others have said, putting another kind of access point between devices and the hotel wifi will not impact traffic initiated by devices behind the additional access point. Attackers on the wifi can still view and manipulate that traffic. However, properly secured, an access point can act as defense both for intradevice traffic that does not transit to the internet, and can protect against attackers targeting individual devices that may have their own vulnerabilities.