A common and wise security suggestion is to turn off what you’re not using. That may be a service running on a computer or the bluetooth radio on a phone. This reduces the potential attack surface of your device and in the case of phones, tablets, and laptops helps to preserve battery life. On the way to a family gathering over the weekend, I discovered another, less intriguing reason.

As I exited the interstate, I passed a Comfort Inn. Having stayed a Comfort Inns in the past, my phone remembered the Wi-Fi network and apparently it tried to connect. The signal was just strong enough that my phone switched from 4G to Wi-Fi, and since the Comfort Inn had a registration portal, this messed up the navigation in the maps app. Oops.

I turned the Wi-Fi antenna off for the rest of the trip. It was a good reminder to shut off what I’m not using.