Is this a problem
 

The last two nights I checked into a hotel my phone, iPad, and Mac Book were all automatically connected to the hotel wifi. Should I be concerned? I turn it off, but what could have happened in the time between turning it off and when it made the connection? I do have "ask before connecting to new networks" on, but somehow it's connecting anyway.

Have you stayed in the hotel before?

If it's a network you have agreed to join before, it will automatically connect.

If you don't like this, then you can go to

system preferences>
Network>
WiFi>
Advanced>
preferred networks

and delete ones you don't want to automatically join.]

If you absolutely want it to ask you every time, un-click the "remember networks this computer has joined" checkbox and delete every network in the list.

Thanks for the info. No, I haven't stayed in this hotel, but I'm a regular with the hotel chain (Holiday Inn Express).

That's why you did so well on the vocabulary test!

We have a mini mac here that was doing goofy things because it was connecting to the WIFI (kept renaming itself).

I was advised to just turn the WIFI off. Also in sys pref>network

Quick effective disconnect is to put it in airplane mode.

Because you've stayed in the chain, it remembers. The name is the same across the chain.

You can tell your computer to "forget" the network so the next time, it will ask. But then when it does, remember to uncheck "connect automatically to this network".

In addition, some carriers partner with businesses and provide wifi at their locations - all of my local Mickey Ds are "ATT WiFi"

Anyway, bad? Possibly. I can think of a few ways to set up an access point that spoofs that and see how many auto connect and try to sniff traffic, etc.

But if it hadn't auto connected, would you have connected to it on purpose? If so, then it doesn't really make a difference.

Relax....you worried about security? Turn off your electronics.